The Science Experiment
by cheri1
Summary: 10Rose with Martha and Donna. A year and a half after the Doctor said goodbye to Rose, he is reunited with her, and they suddenly find themselves on a strange planet, caught up in a bizarre experiment. FINISHED.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

(Pete's World, on a distant planet in the outer spiral of the Milky Way galaxy…)

The man gasped, as he was shoved to his knees in front of the dais. He had been captured and brought to this room to face punishment for trying to orchestrate a rebellion against the woman who, at the moment, was sitting on a plush, high-backed, red, velvet chair in the middle of the dais. The man looked at the guards surrounding him. All of them were dressed in black outfits with black skullcaps on their heads. He stared defiantly at the one closest to him and received a backhand across his face for his insolence. The man looked back at the woman, who was staring at him, quietly, with a look of contempt on her face. She was dressed in a black, off-the-shoulder dress and a long, black cape that reached down to her ankles. Her honey blonde hair was swept up in a bun, and her beautiful face was twisted in a sneer, as she looked down at the prisoner before her.

"I assume you are Haban, leader of the resistance?" she said.

Haban straightened up and returned her haughty look.

"I am," he said, simply.

She snorted.

"Your little resistance didn't do much good, did it?" she said. "Most of your friends are dead, and here you are, at my feet awaiting your punishment."

"You may kill me, but others will rise up and take my place," Haban said. "You are despised, my lady, I am not the only one who wants you dead."

"Then, I will deal with the others in the same manner I will deal with you."

"Yes, but someday, someone will defeat you and end your tyrannical reign forever."

"Pity you won't be around to help make that happen," she replied.

She looked at the guards.

"Throw him in the dungeon. He'll be transferred to the lab in the morning."

"Yes, Lady Rose," the guards said, in unison.

"Take him away."

Haban grunted and tried to pull away from the soldier's grip, when they seized him by the arms. He yelled and screamed curses at Lady Rose, while she sat on her chair and watched his struggles, nonchalantly.

She sighed and looked at a nearby guard when Haban was finally pulled out of the room.

"Bring in the next rebel," she said.

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(Meanwhile on Pete's world's Earth…)

"Torchwood, Rose Tyler speaking. How may I help you?"

"Yes, miss, there's an alien in my loo. It's small, and green, and covered with shite. Can you come out with a net and a plunger, and flush it out of there?"

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Funny, Frank," she said to her boyfriend. "You're a load of laughs, you are."

"Well, you're sitting in your office, which means you aren't out catching aliens. And since you're being lazy, I'm gonna give you something to do."

"I'm not being lazy, you git, I'm sitting here doing paperwork. That is also part of the job."

"Oh, I see, so, you're really just a glorified secretary, then," Frank teased. "Well, since you are sitting there filling out boring paperwork, perhaps I can come over, and spice things up a bit."

"Ooo, sounds kinky. But, I have a feeling my bosses will frown on us shagging on my desk," Rose said, seductively.

"Ah, those sods are just jealous because you have a cute boyfriend, and they don't."

Rose smiled.

"Yup, that could be the reason."

Frank laughed.

"So…" he said. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Um, I'll probably go home and veg out in front of the telly."

"Ugh, sod that nonsense. Come over. I'll fix some linguini and garlic bread, and we can have a nice candlelight dinner."

"Hmmm, that sounds great, actually."

"So, it's a date?"

Rose smiled.

"Yeah, it's a date."

She giggled, when Frank let out a whoop.

"Honestly, you act like such a kid sometimes," she said.

"Hey, you're only as young as you feel."

Rose snorted.

"Well, in that case, I feel like I'm eighty, most days."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm fixing linguini then. They say one bite can make you feel young again."

"That so? Well, I'll have to get Torchwood out there to investigate that. Might be some kind of alien herb you're sneaking in the recipe."

"Darn, you figured it out. Guilty as charged."

Rose laughed.

"Well, listen, I'd love to chat, but I have a feeling they might dock my paycheck for not working, so I'll see you tonight, yeah?"

"Yeah, six o' clock, be there or be square!"

"I will. I love you, Frank."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Have a great day at work."

"Yeah, you too, talk to you later, bye."

"Bye."

Rose hung up the phone. With a contented sigh, she picked up her pen and went back to her paperwork.

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(Meanwhile, back in the whirlpool galaxy…)

The Lady Rose strode down the corridor towards her laboratory. As she walked, her long, cape billowed out behind her like a sail. As she passed by a window, she glanced out and noticed that the lavender sky was slowly becoming a deep purple, as the sun dipped below the horizon of Valpora. This was her favorite moment of the day. She loved standing on her balcony, watching the twin moons, as they slowly climbed into the night sky. As a child, she imagined the moons were the eyes of some huge creature that was watching the planet, and she used to spend countless hours talking to it, hoping it could hear her. She had been so young then, so innocent. It had been a happy, peaceful time. Before the Zazarians came, killed her family, and took her away to be held as a political prisoner on Zazaria. There had been no love lost between her and her uncle when she was growing up, and when he learned she was a hostage, he did nothing to save her. He simply seized the throne for himself and ruled with an iron hand, while she spent 12 years toiling as a slave. Finally, when she grew strong enough, she was able to poison the emperor's food, escape the Zazarian palace, and make her way back home. She found her uncle asleep in his bed and slaughtered him without mercy. After that, she followed his example and seized the throne. Then, she made sure that she would never be usurped by killing the last remaining members of her family and other potential rivals to the throne.

It was during this time that she made the acquaintance of Josiah. She had been searching for efficient ways to kill her rivals, and he came offering his services to her. She had been skeptical at first when he suggested he be allowed to experiment on some of the prisoners for scientific purposes. However, Josiah convinced her to go to his laboratory, high in the hills, with several guards, and she witnessed some of his work. Josiah, she noticed, was especially interested in creating hybrids. He had several people who would go to other worlds, kidnap subjects, and bring them back. After which, he would take the sperm and eggs of different species, combine them in a Petrie dish, and put them back into the females to see if they would produce a viable being. He had shown her a few that had lived. The results were both fascinating and horrific. Some of the hybrids turned out well, while others were hideous to look at.

"That is not all I can do, my Lady," he said. "I have also conducted other experiments, including some that will benefit the Valporian race. But, I need a bigger lab and funds to carry out more in-depth experiments. These hybrids that you see before you, might serve a greater purpose. I can keep experimenting and create hybrids that possess super strength that can serve you as bodyguards, or hybrids with super intelligence that will become your advisors, or help in my lab. I can create weapons that will make Valpora supreme. All I need is your permission to move into the palace, and I promise, my Lady, I will make it worth your while."

It was a fascinating proposition, and Lady Rose decided to take him up on his offer. That had been a year ago and since that time; Josiah had been hard at work. He had created several muscular hybrids that had quickly grown to adulthood with the growth accelerator he had invented. These hybrids became her guards, and they had served her well. Now, he was working on something monumental. He wouldn't tell her what it was, but he promised it was nearly completed and then she would be able to see it. Lady Rose couldn't help but wonder what it was. But, that was before they had discovered the existence of the rebels, and since then, she had been busy having them captured, and either put to death, or given over to Josiah for experimentation.

She had just finished sentencing Haban when Josiah came into the room. He walked up to the dais and prostrated himself before her. He apologized for interrupting her and told her that his experiment was completed, and he wanted her to come and look at it before she saw any more prisoners. She agreed, and now, she found herself outside his laboratory door. She knocked on it; Josiah opened the door and bowed low.

"My Lady, it is an honor," he said.

Lady Rose sighed.

"Enough with the formalities, Josiah, show me this invention. I'm busy."

"At once, my Lady, step inside."

He opened the door wider. Lady Rose stepped inside and looked around. She could see a couple of steel lab tables with restraints on them. There was a counter at the back of the room. Jars of unidentifiable things in multicolored liquids were sitting on top of it along with surgical instruments. Above the counter was several cabinets, and diagrams and charts hung on the wall next to it. On the other side of the room, there were several cages, only one of which was currently occupied. Inside the cage was a white skinned, horse-like alien that had a unicorn horn in the middle of its forehead. It had been spliced with a dolphin-like creature, so from the torso on down, it had a dolphin body and tail, resulting in a bizarre looking mer-creature. The hybrid flopped around in the straw that served as its bedding and stared at her, mournfully. Lady Rose gave the thing a disdainful look and turned her attention back to Josiah.

"This way, my Lady," he said.

He pointed to a large object in the back of the room that was hidden beneath a tan tarp. Lady Rose walked over to it and stared at it silently, while Josiah walked around the other side. With a flourish, he pulled the tarp off. Lady Rose stared at the huge gun that sat on a large tripod. Josiah walked around it, stood beside her, and gave her a proud smile.

"Behold, my Lady, my latest invention. I call it the multi-dimensional tractor beam."

"What does it do?"

"It penetrates the void between dimensions and allows me to capture objects from other universes."

"Really? And what use is that?"

"Oh, it has many uses, my Lady. For one thing, it will allow me to carry on with my hybrid experiments by allowing me to capture species from other dimensions. Not only that, we can also capture technology that will be used to conquer our enemies."

Lady Rose nodded.

"And how will you know that your…tractor beam has found objects in other dimensions, Josiah?"

He smiled.

"I have radar and sonar built into the device. All I need to do is shoot the tractor beam up into the air; it will open a small hole in the fabric of reality, go through the void and out into another dimension. The radar and sonar will then began scanning for objects and life forms. Once I have found something, I can then lock onto it, and pull it back through the void and into our reality. The other good thing about this device is it can also be used in this dimension as well, so I can also target any planet in this universe that is currently out of our reach."

Fascinating, Josiah. Once again, you have outdone yourself," Lady Rose said. "Perhaps a quick demonstration is in order then?"

"As you wish, my Lady," Josiah said. "Would you like me to find something in this dimension or another?"

"Another dimension," Lady Rose said. "I want to see what lies out there in the universes beyond ours."

"Of course, my Lady, follow me."

Josiah grabbed the back of the device and wheeled it out through the back door. Lady Rose followed him.

"I see that the device is portable," she commented.

"Yes, my Lady, I used light materials when I constructed it, that way we can move the tractor beam, and aim it wherever we want."

He wheeled it out onto a nearby balcony and aimed it up at the sky.

"Now, my Lady," he said, looking at her. "Let's do a little fishing between dimensions and see what we can catch, eh?"

He pushed a button, and they watched as a bright beam of light shot up into the night sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

(Meanwhile, in the other universe…)

Martha and Donna smiled at each other, as they followed the Doctor into the TARDIS. The man was grinning from ear to ear. They had just finished battling huge wasps, but that didn't matter to him compared to the person the wasps had been attacking. They had met Agatha Christie, one of the Doctor's heroes.

"To look at him, you wouldn't think the man almost got killed by a bloody, great wasp," Martha said, closing the door.

"Well, that's the Doctor for you," Donna said. "He'd risk life, limb, death, and destruction to meet one of his idols."

"Well, to be fair, she was a nice lady," Martha said. "A lot more down to Earth than I thought she would be. It's interesting, meeting all these famous people you only read about in books and finding out how normal they really are. Shakespeare was like that too."

She paused.

"Although Shakespeare apparently had the hots for me," she added.

"Really?" Donna said.

"Yeah," Martha said with a wry grin. "I guess I end up being the mysterious Dark Lady of his sonnets."

She chuckled.

"I had to read those sonnets in school, never imagined I was reading about myself," she said.

They walked over to the Doctor who was inputting coordinates.

"So, where are we going to next?" Martha asked.

The Doctor smiled at them.

"I was thinking about taking you to see the golden deserts of Galadonia Seven. And when I say, golden, I mean, golden. Gold dust is mixed in with the sand. It's very beautiful. Interested?"

Donna and Martha looked at each other.

"What kind of monster lurks in this beautiful desert?" Donna asked him.

"Good question," Martha said, nodding. "Well? Gotta be a monster somewhere on this fabulous planet of yours, what is it?"

The Doctor's mouth dropped open.

"I'm insulted. You think there's actually a monster on every planet we go to?"

"Yes," the women said, in unison.

The Doctor stared at them for a moment.

"Well, all right, there are golden serpents that live under the sand and snatch the unwary, but that's only people who are unwary, mind. We will be very wary, so they will be no problem for us."

Martha and Donna glanced at each other.

"See, he tries to fudge the facts, so we'll go to all these dangerous places he likes," Donna said.

"I do not fudge the facts, Donna Nobel," the Doctor said, incensed.

He paused.

"I leave a few things out from time to time, but that's not fudging the facts! That's me being old and absentminded."

He sighed when Martha snorted.

"Look, you wanna go or not?" he said.

Donna looked at Martha.

"Wanna give it a go?"

"Sure, why not? I've got nothing better to do today," Martha replied. "I just better get my plimsols on, so I can outrun the gigantic, monster snakes."

"They aren't gigantic!" the Doctor yelled, as they turned and walked out of the room. "They're only fifteen feet, tops, and that's small compared to some creatures I've faced!"

He took the TARDIS into the vortex, set down on the captain's chair and stared at the rotor while it oscillated hypnotically. He was so transfixed on it that he didn't realize that Donna was beside him until she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry," she said, when the Doctor jumped. "I was just bringing you some tea."

The Doctor stared at the cup of tea in her hand.

"Thanks," he said, taking it from her.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing, just letting my mind wander a bit," the Doctor said, dismissively. "I do that from time to time."

He took a sip of tea.

"I have to say, Donna, that you can make a really good cuppa. It must come from all that temping you did."

Donna swatted his arm when he laughed.

"It was nice of you to make some tea for me, thanks," he said, sobering up.

Donna shrugged.

"Well, there's not much else to do while we're waiting to land on the planet of the monstrous snakes."

The Doctor sighed.

"There aren't that many snakes there. I'm sorry I even mentioned them. I should have just said there were golden bunny rabbits, and then the two of you wouldn't be up in arms."

Suddenly, the TARDIS lurched and tipped sideways. Donna yelled, as she was thrown backwards towards the railing ringing the console. The Doctor screamed her name when her head smacked into the rail, and she fell to the grating, unconscious. The Doctor dropped the tea cup, fell to his knees, and scrambled over to her.

"Donna? Can you hear me?" he said, leaning down beside her.

He cursed when she didn't respond.

"Doctor? Doctor, what was that? What's happening?" he heard Martha say, as she ran towards the console room.

Just as she entered the console room, there was another violent lurch, and the TARDIS began to vibrate. Martha dropped to the floor and crawled towards the Doctor, who was lying on top of Donna trying to keep her safe.

"Doctor? What is this? What's happening?" Martha asked, slowly crawling towards him.

"I…I...D…don't…k…know," the Doctor said, his voice vibrating along with the TARDIS.

Martha reached his side, and the two of them lay next to each other. Martha made a quick check of Donna.

"I…I…t…think…s….she'll…b…be….a…alright," she said. "S…she…m…might…h…have…a…c…concussion."

Suddenly, the vibrating stopped, and the TARDIS became still. The Doctor and Martha looked around and looked at each other.

"What happened?" Martha asked.

"Dunno, but there's one way to find out. Keep an eye on Donna."

Martha nodded, as the Doctor jumped up and went over to the monitor. He stared at it for a moment and then looked at Martha.

"We're caught in a tractor beam," he said, to her.

Martha stared at him, wide-eyed.

"A tractor beam did that?" she asked.

The Doctor thought.

"No, usually tractor beams just pull you in. The only reason the TARDIS would be vibrating is if it was trying to resist, and it wasn't. There has to be another explanation."

"What do we do?"

"For the moment, nothing. The tractor beam is too strong. We have to wait until it is off before the TARDIS can take off again. Until then, we just have to hope that whoever is at the other end of the tractor beam is friendly."

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Josiah gave Lady Rose a triumphant look.

"Got something, my Lady," he said to her.

"Already? That's most impressive," she replied.

"Yes, it's relatively small, but small is good. If it's a threat, then it can be subdued without any problem."

"What is it? Who is it?"

Josiah studied the screen.

"It looks like a box, my Lady," he replied.

"A box? Where did you find it?"

"Um, in space."

Lady Rose raised her eyebrow.

"There was a box floating around in space?"

"Not floating, flying."

Lady Rose stared at him.

"A box…was flying? Are you sure your radar is correct?"

"Yes, my Lady, this box was flying," Josiah said, nodding. "This is why we need to take precautions when it lands. If someone is flying it, they may be hostile."

Lady Rose turned, walked back into the lab, and opened the front door. She looked at a guard standing beside the door.

"I need you to find three more guards and meet me on the balcony as soon as you can."

"Yes, my Lady," the guard said, bowing his head.

He went off to find others while Lady Rose closed the door and walked back to the balcony. By the time she got there, she could see a blue box heading through the night sky towards them. She backed up a few feet.

"Will it crash into the balcony?" she asked nervously.

"No, I'm adjusting the beam. It'll set it down gently in front of us," Josiah replied.

He turned a couple of dials, and Lady Rose watched, as the box slowed down until it was barely moving. Josiah shortened the beam in increments until the box was hovering a few feet above the balcony. Then, he gently lowered the tractor beam and set it down in front of them. To Lady Rose's relief, the guards had shown up by that time, and all of them had withdrawn their phasers and were approaching the box, as Josiah switched the beam off.

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The Doctor heard a thump, as the TARDIS hit ground. He looked at Martha.

"Well, we've stopped," he said, to her.

"Yeah, where?"

"Dunno, but, I suppose there's only one way to find out," he replied.

He walked over to Martha and bent down beside Donna. He sighed when he noticed she was still unconscious. He picked her up, walked out of the console room, and went into the nearest room. He laid her on an overstuffed couch, and looked at Martha when she followed him inside.

"Stay in here and look after her. I'm going to go outside. If something happens to me, you guys will be safe. I just want someone to stay with Donna until she wakes up."

Martha nodded.

"If it looks too dangerous, don't try to come after me. I don't want you and Donna getting hurt or killed," he said, rising and going to her. "I can probably get away and get back to the TARDIS on my own. I don't want to worry about rescuing you or Donna."

"I understand," Martha said.

The Doctor squeezed her shoulder.

"Well, I better put in an appearance before they blow us up or something," he said.

He smiled at Martha, took one last look at Donna, and then turned and walked towards the front door.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Doctor," Martha muttered.

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The guards pointed their phasers at the TARDIS door when it opened. The Doctor stuck his head out, looked at the phasers, and sighed.

"Great," he muttered. "Just once, I'd like to get captured by people offering me tea and biscuits."

He stepped outside and quickly shut the door behind him. He glanced around for a moment and then his eyes settled on the woman standing behind the huge gun. His face drained of all color, as he stared at her in silent shock. After a moment, he finally recovered enough to speak, and in a barely audible voice, murmured," Rose?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Lady Rose was shocked when she heard the man utter her name. She looked at Josiah, who was just as shocked as she was.

"Rose, what are you doing here?" the Doctor said, when she remained silent. "How did you get back? And, who are all these people?"

"I'll handle this, my Lady," Josiah said.

She nodded.

Josiah cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Sir, I don't know how you know the Lady Rose, but---"

"I'm not talking to you," the Doctor said to him. "I'm talking to Rose. Now stand aside and let me speak with her."

He tried to move forward, but the guards quickly put their phasers in his face. He sighed.

"Rose, tell these people, whoever they are, to back off, will ya?" he said, annoyed.

Lady Rose hesitated for a moment and then started to walk towards the Doctor. Josiah quickly walked up to her.

"I would advise against this, my Lady, this man may be dangerous," he said.

Lady Rose looked at the Doctor.

"I will be alright," she said, softly. "I want to speak to him and find out how he knows me. If he threatens me, my guards will make quick work of him. Now, stand aside and let me go to him."

"Yes, my Lady," Josiah said, bowing his head.

He stepped aside and kept a wary eye on the Doctor, as Lady Rose slowly walked towards him. His eyes widened when the Doctor hurried to Lady Rose and embraced her.

"Rose, I can't believe it's you," he said, to her.

Lady Rose was shocked into silence at the man's effrontery. A man hadn't put her arms around her since she was on Zazaria. The Doctor leaned back up and her shock intensified when he cupped her cheeks with his hands and gave her a tender kiss on the forehead.

"I missed you so much, Rose," he said, tenderly. "How did you get here?"

The Doctor looked at Josiah and the guards and narrowed his eyes. He looked back at Lady Rose.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Have these people done something to you?"

"I am perfectly fine," Lady Rose said, tersely.

The Doctor frowned when he heard her accent. She wasn't speaking with her Estuary accent. The accent she was using was more refined. He raised his eyebrow.

"Rose, are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

Josiah sighed.

"My lady…" he said, walking towards her.

He gasped when the Doctor tightened his hold on her.

"Keep away from her!" he snarled.

Lady Rose looked at her guards who were pointing their phasers at him.

"Put those away, idiots, before you shoot me!" she growled at them.

The Doctor watched, amazed, as they obeyed her command. He looked at Rose.

"Rose, for the last time, what is going on here?"

"Unhand me, and I'll tell you exactly what is going on."

The Doctor hesitated for a moment and then let go. Lady Rose sighed and stepped back.

"I don't know who you think I am, but, rest assured, I am not the Rose you have in mind."

The Doctor eyed her warily, as thoughts of Cassandra drifted through his brain.

"Oh, and just who are you, then?" he said.

"I am the Lady Rose Tartania, ruler of Valpora," she said, haughtily.

"Really, how very interesting," the Doctor said. "Tell me…Lady Rose…do you happen to own a psychograft, by chance?"

Lady Rose glanced at Josiah.

"I have never heard of such a thing, my Lady," he said, shrugging.

She looked back at the Doctor.

"Apparently, we do not," she said to him.

The Doctor snorted.

"Then, it goes by another name. Whatever you used to possess Rose and enslave her mind, I want it reversed now!"

"I am not being possessed by anyone, nor am I a slave. I don't know who you are, but you have no idea what's going on here."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"I'm the Doctor, Rose, since you don't seem to remember me."

"Well then, Doctor, the reason I don't remember you is because up until this moment, you were living in another universe."

The Doctor stared at her silently, thinking. Then, he slowly realized what was going on.

"The vibrations," he murmured. "That was the TARDIS crossing…"

He trailed off. His eyes narrowed.

"Then, the fact that I was pulled across into another universe confirms my theory that you have been possessed by something or someone. My Rose was trapped in another universe a year and a half ago."

"Interesting, but I'm still not your Rose. I have never seen you before in my life. I am the Lady Rose of Valpora. My court scientist, Josiah, invented a tractor beam that can cross dimensions and bring things from other universes back to us."

The Doctor was horrified.

"You can't do that," he said. "You can't create holes and drag things back to your universe; you might collapse both this universe and the one the tractor beam has targeted."

He grunted when Rose seized his throat.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do! I am the Lady Rose of Valpora, and nothing is forbidden to me!"

"Well, I got news for you, Lady…Rose. Some things are not only forbidden to you, but also dangerous for you to tamper with. I don't know who you are, if you're my Rose, or you're not my Rose, doesn't matter. You can't do this anymore!"

He grunted when Lady Rose pushed him up against the TARDIS door.

"Don't talk to me like that! If anyone gives commands around here, it's me! You are my prisoner now, and you will do what I say, not the other way around!"

The Doctor shoved her away. He grunted when a guard decked him across the face, grabbed him by his shoulders, and forced him to his knees. The Doctor looked up at him and noticed the guard had a Judoon head, yet he was not quite as muscular as one. The Judoon-headed guard pointed his phaser at the Doctor's head, while Lady Rose walked around him to the TARDIS. She tried to open the door and glared at the Doctor when she found it locked. She walked back around to him.

"What is in this box?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"What…is in…the box?"

"No…thing," the Doctor replied.

He grunted when Lady Rose slapped him hard across the face.

"I am not a fool, Doctor, so don't treat me as one! You would not be traveling through space protected only by a flimsy, little box. There must be something more to it! Now, you will open it up and show me what's inside!"

"Sorry, I'm not going to do that."

"Open it! I command you!"

"Never!" the Doctor snarled back.

Lady Rose glared at him.

"I wouldn't resist if I were you. Josiah is very eager to experiment on you, I'm sure. If you don't want to end up on his lab table, I suggest you cooperate."

The Doctor glowered at her. Lady Rose threw up her hands.

"Fine, have it your way. I'm sure Josiah is curious to find out what you are, anyway," she said, turning.

"My Lady," Josiah said, stepping in front of her. "I have a mind probe device that can scan his memories. If he will not talk, we can learn about him that way."

Lady Rose looked back at the Doctor.

"Do it, then. I am very curious to find out about this other Rose of his. Do what you want with him and his blue box. I'm tired now, and I'm going to go retire for the evening."

"Of course, my Lady," Josiah said, bowing.

The Doctor tried to get away, but was seized and surrounded by the guards.

"Take him to my lab and strap him to the table," Josiah said. "I will be there shortly. As for the blue box, leave it here for the moment. We can put it in storage in the morning."

The Doctor grunted when the guards pulled him towards the door. As he walked, he looked over at Lady Rose and glared at her. Lady Rose smirked back and watched while he was led away. When he was through the door on his way to the lab, she looked at Josiah.

"I'll be in my room. If you find out something interesting during the mind probe, let me know."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

(Meanwhile, on Earth, Pete's World…)

Frank smiled when he heard someone knocking on the door of his flat. He walked over, opened it, and his smile widened when he saw Rose standing there.

"Hello, little lady," he said. "Get all that paperwork done?"

"Yes, finally, and when I report for work tomorrow, there'll be a lot more."

"Oh, you poor girl, come inside and have a nice bowl of my world-famous linguini."

Rose smiled, gave him a kiss, and stepped inside.

"Just make yourself at home," Frank said. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Some wine, if you have it."

"One glass of wine coming up. Just have a seat while I finish up dinner."

Rose nodded and walked to the couch. She slumped down in the couch and relaxed, relishing the softness of it after a long, grueling day. She watched while Frank finished their dinner. He caught her looking at him and winked. He brought a glass of wine to her, kissed her lips, and went back to the kitchen. She stared at him and sighed wistfully when she took in his beautiful face. He looked a lot like him. He had the same tousled, brown hair, and sideburns, the same warm, brown eyes, the same winning smile. Yes, Frank was handsome, sweet, and loving, but he wasn't him, and that made her ache inside, knowing that she was doing Frank a disservice. She knew he loved her, and she loved him, but she wasn't _in_ love with him. But, she had tried to honor her Doctor's request to live life to the fullest, and she had, to some degree. She had an exciting, fulfilling job at Torchwood, she had the love of family and friends, and she had Frank, but she would trade all of it in a heartbeat for the chance to be with the Doctor once more.

She was doing this sweet man a disservice by making him think that she loved him as much as he loved her, when all she really wanted was the man who resembled him. Frank deserved far better than that. He was one of the few men she had met, besides the Doctor, who hadn't been a jerk, or only interested in getting in her pants. Her mother had encouraged the relationship, however, figuring that perhaps if she was involved with someone, she would eventually forget all about the Doctor. Rose snorted. Yeah, right, like that would ever happen. The Doctor isn't one of those people you can easily forget, and Rose knew that no matter what happened from here on out, he would be in the forefront of her mind for the rest of her life.

While she relaxed on the couch and watched Frank cooking their meal, her mind drifted away, and she imagined what he might be doing at this moment. What monster was he battling? Slitheen? Gelth? Perhaps even Daleks, or Cybermen? Or, was it something else entirely? Something he had never seen before. She envied him. She would give anything to be at his side sharing his adventures, at this very moment.

"Hey!"

Rose was jerked out of her reverie. She looked up and saw Frank standing in front of her with a huge grin on his face.

"Don't sail away to La-La land yet, not without eating anyway," he teased.

He held out his hand. Rose took it and stood up. She followed him to the dining room table.

"So, what were you thinking about?" Frank asked, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Something to do with me, I hope?"

"Um…yeah, it was."

"Thought so."

Rose smiled at him, but her guilt increased even more, and she wished fervently that she hadn't gotten herself into this mess, as she and Frank sat down at the table.

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Donna groaned and slowly opened her eyes.

"Where am I?" she muttered.

"Lying on a sofa in one of the TARDIS's spare rooms."

Donna frowned when she saw Martha sitting beside her.

"Where's the Doctor? Is he alright?"

"The Doctor is…occupied, at the moment."

Donna put her hand on her forehead.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

Martha rolled her eyes.

"It means that, once again, the Doctor has managed to stumble into trouble, and we have to get him out of it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Once again, I stumbled into trouble, and now, I have to get myself out of it," the Doctor muttered to himself.

He was strapped to the table in Josiah's lab. He lifted his head up and looked at his surroundings. His eyes fell on the creature lying in the cage. He shook his head, as he watched it neighing softly while it flopped around its tiny prison.

"Oh, you poor thing, what have they done to you?" he murmured.

He glared at Josiah when he came into the room.

"What have you done to him?" he asked, nodding his head in the direction of the cage.

Josiah paused in mid-step. He looked behind him at the cage and looked back at the Doctor with a confused look on his face.

"Why does it matter to you?" he asked.

"It matters because you have obviously spliced two different creatures together and made something that shouldn't exist. The poor thing is miserable, and you don't even care," the Doctor said, angrily.

Josiah studied him.

"You care for a creature you've never even met before. That's interesting," he said.

"Well, first off, I don't think highly of people who take two things that don't belong together and create something that can't even move properly, and secondly, I don't like seeing things in cages."

"Well, that's gonna cause you quite a lot of discomfort then, because when I'm through here, you're getting the cage next to him."

"Why do you do this? What's in it for you?"

"I am a scientist. All of this is in the name of scientific inquiry," he said, waving his arms around the lab.

"And, how is splicing animals together serving science, exactly?"

"For your information, I did not splice anything. The animal you see before you is the result of a Dolphinin egg being mixed with a Phillipicorn sperm. I implanted the egg back in the Dolphinin, and she gave birth to this. As for what purpose it serves, I am trying to create whole new species. This creature here was a fluke, but there have been others who have been successful."

The guard with the Judoon head," the Doctor said.

Josiah nodded.

"Yes, that was a successful hybridization. Its growth was accelerated artificially, and then, it was put to work guarding my Lady. So, you see, these animals do serve a higher purpose, Doctor."

"But that's not enough for you," the Doctor said. "You aren't content with mucking around in this universe, you have to reach out and kidnap from other realities and screw with their lives, as well."

Josiah snorted.

"Oh, come now, Doctor. You were apparently traveling through space in a cramped, blue box before I brought you back here. You mean to tell me that your life is so much better than mine?"

"You don't know me. You don't know anything about me."

"Precisely. That's why you're going to tell me everything about you."

"Why? So you can know exactly what species to mate me with?"

"Perhaps. But, I'm more interested in what you are, and where you come from. You are obviously a very intelligent, articulate being. I'm interested to know why an intelligent man such as yourself would be flying around space in a little, blue box. And, I must confess, I'm wanting to know all about this Rose of yours. If you mistook my Lady for her, then that must mean that she resembles her. Is she a queen?"

"She is, in my eyes," the Doctor muttered, in a barely audible voice.

"So, your choice, Doctor. You can tell me who you are, and everything about your life, or I can extract it forcefully from your mind. What'll it be?"

The Doctor stared at him silently. Josiah threw up his hands.

"Fine, you want to be in pain, be my guest."

He went to get his mind probe machine, while the Doctor tried to break out of the restraints.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Martha opened the front door, and stuck her head outside. She had waited awhile, making sure she couldn't hear anybody outside the TARDIS before she and Donna decided to venture outside.

"Where are we?" Donna whispered.

She looked back at her.

"A stone balcony," she whispered back.

"See any bad guys?"

Martha shook her head.

"No, I don't see the Doctor either. But, I heard people talking out here earlier. He's been taken to some lab."

Donna groaned.

"Great, I suppose they're gonna pour chemicals down his throat and chop him up into little bits for fun."

"Not if we get to him first. Come on; let's get outta here before someone comes round to check on the TARDIS."

She opened the door, she and Donna stepped outside, and she closed it back. They looked around, and Martha pointed to an open door off to their right.

"I guess we go that way," she whispered.

Donna nodded, and the two of them quickly snuck off in search of the Doctor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor gritted his teeth, trying with all his might to resist the mind probe. Josiah stood next to him staring at a monitor. He had already increased the intensity twice with no results. He sighed and looked at the Doctor.

"You realize that all you're doing is making this more painful for you," he said, to him.

"I will never let you see inside my mind!" the Doctor grunted out.

"Why? Do you honestly think you are so important that the contents of your mind must remain a secret?"

"You have no right to do this!"

"I wouldn't have to do it if you would just cooperate with me," he snarled back. "As I told you earlier, Doctor, you are extremely intelligent. Don't you realize the strain this is putting on your mind? Each time I up the intensity, it increases the risk for brain damage. Do you want that to happen?"

"I'd rather be brain damaged, than be your lab rat," the Doctor groaned.

Josiah shook his head.

"I don't have the time, or the patience for this. I will see inside your mind, one way, or another."

He walked over to a drawer, pulled out a syringe gun, and walked back to him. Without any comment, he stuck it into the Doctor's jugular vein and pulled the trigger. The Doctor felt warmth in his neck, as the liquid went into him, and then, a few seconds later, he slipped into unconsciousness. Josiah lobbed the gun onto a nearby table, went back to the monitor, and smiled when he finally saw an image on the screen.

"Now, let's see what's so important that you thought you had to keep it hidden from me," he murmured.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Donna and Martha crept down the corridor. After going through the balcony door, they found themselves in a bedroom. They tried one door, and after finding it locked, tried another one. It led out into a hallway, and they slowly searched the hallways hoping to find the Doctor in one of the rooms. But, so far, no luck.

"Wait a moment," Martha said, holding up her hand. "This isn't getting us anywhere. We have to split up."

"Are you sure that's a smart thing to do?" Donna asked.

Martha sighed.

"No. But, someone could be torturing and killing the Doctor right at this moment, and we need to step up our search. I'll keep going this way, you go back the other way, and we'll meet back at the TARDIS in about an hour. If we haven't found anything, then we'll think of a new plan."

Donna had her doubts about splitting up. She also had a feeling the Doctor would be furious when he found out they had left the safety of the TARDIS to go find him, but what else could they do? He was their friend, in addition to being the only one who could fly them back home. Reluctantly, she nodded.

"Alright, but don't do anything reckless," Donna cautioned.

"Same for you, just be careful and keep your eyes open. We don't wanna end up in the same cell with him."

Donna nodded. She looked behind her, reached up, and grabbed a torch from a holder. Martha did the same and went down the corridor, hoping and praying she didn't just make a huge mistake.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Josiah rubbed his chin, while he stared at the monitor. It had been almost two hours now, and he had learned a lot about the strange man.

"Hmmm, Gallifreyan, I haven't heard of that race before," he mused.

He smirked.

"So, he's a Time Lord? Well, he can be the lord of the lab, after I get through with him."

He moved a dial and delved deeper into the Doctor's mind. He cursed under his breath when he ran into a barrier in his subconscious mind. He had tried a couple of times to penetrate it without success. Whatever lay behind it seemed to be buried within the deepest recesses of his mind. No matter what he did, he couldn't access it. Someone or something had sealed this part of his mind shut. He doubted even the Doctor himself could access it. Frustrated, he tried another tactic, but he still couldn't break through the defenses.

"What are you hiding, Doctor?" he muttered.

Finally, he gave up and moved to another part of his brain. He looked for any mention of Rose in his conscious mind. He smiled when he finally found something. His eyes widened, when he got a good look at her face.

"By the moon goddess, she looks exactly like my Lady," he breathed. "No wonder the Time Lord got confused."

He darted in and out of his memories, watching with fascination, as the Doctor interacted with Rose. When he had first started to probe his mind, he had gotten confused when he noticed there seemed to be several different versions of the Doctor. Then, when he had gone back into his subconcious, he had found some information on regenerations, and it all became clear. The fact that he could change his body completely at the point of death, fascinated him all the more, and it made him realize he had caught something special in his tractor beam. When he found the first memories of Rose, he had been in another body, and now, he had moved on to her interactions with his current one. He grinned, listening to the Doctor's inner monologue, as he watched his past unfold on the screen.

"So, you are in love with this other Rose, fascinating," he muttered. "That also explains the embrace, and the kiss."

He watched with interest when Rose was trapped in the parallel universe. He wondered briefly if she had gone into this reality and made a note to find Earth and check. He was suddenly obsessed with the idea of finding this Rose and bringing her back to the lab. He had never heard of humans before, but he wondered if they would be compatible with Time Lords. After all, if the Doctor was so smitten with her, it made sense to him that they should mate and have a child. And, since both species seemed to be alike in physical structure, he reasoned that the hybrid would be a viable one. He wondered how intelligent humans were. This Rose seemed to be smart, although, he noticed she didn't seem to be as smart as the Doctor. He wondered if their child would inherit her mind, or the Time Lord's. The more he thought about it, the more he longed to find this double of his Lady, so he could satisfy his curiosity, once and for all.

He briefly went away from the memories and delved back into the Doctor's subconscious, accessing his ingrained knowledge of time and space. That was another delightful find. The Doctor knew so much, he had information on hundreds of different topics, so much, so that it would take awhile to sort through it all. This vast storehouse of knowledge could be put to use in the service of the empire. After several minutes, he found the basic information on planet Earth, and he beamed when he saw that the planet was located in the same galaxy, further towards the center. He also found London, since both Rose and the Doctor had mentioned it. Tucking this information away in his own mind for later use, he went back to scanning his memories. He went past when the Doctor lost Rose and watched, as he met a human named Donna, and then, a human named Martha. He chuckled when he heard occasional anguished thoughts about missing Rose mixed in with his memories of them. He glanced down at the unconscious Time Lord for a second before turning his eyes back to the monitor.

Then, he saw something that disturbed him. He had finally come to the most recent memories and noticed, with mounting horror, that the Doctor hadn't been alone in his TARDIS. Donna and Martha were with him, and when he had come outside to surrender, both of them had still been in the ship. Cursing, he tore himself away from the monitor. He knew that it had been left unguarded for the night, since everyone assumed it was just an empty box. Berating himself for his and everyone else's foolishness, he ran out of the lab and found the nearest guard.

"Round up the other guards and make a complete search of the castle," he said to him. "And, put several guards around the TAR…blue box. I want them guarding it until further notice. Hurry!"

The guard bowed, and ran off. Josiah swore profusely under his breath, while he sprinted down the corridor toward Lady Rose's room.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Lady Rose gasped and shot up from her bed, when she heard someone pounding on the door.

"My Lady, open up!" Josiah screamed.

Lady Rose threw back the covers and stomped over to the door.

"What is it, Josiah?" she spat out, when she threw it open.

Josiah bowed.

"My Lady, you told me to inform you if something happened with the Doctor."

She calmed down.

"Yes, and…"

"I think we might have intruders, my Lady," Josiah said, hesitantly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Donna gasped, when she heard voices up ahead of her. Desperate, she jerked her head around and tried the nearest door. Finding it unlocked, she thanked God, as she ducked inside it. Breathing heavily, she stood there listening, as several people ran past the door. Her heart was beating out of her chest, and for a moment, she was terrified that it could be heard. She let out a sigh of relief, as the voices faded, and all was still again. Turning, she gasped when she noticed there were several cages behind her with an assortment of odd creatures in them. Her shock became curiosity when she noticed all of them were asleep. Quietly, she tiptoed over to them, bent down, and peered in. She had seen some weird things in her travels with the Doctor, but nothing as bizarre as these things. Even though she had no idea what they were, she sensed they were wrong somehow. All of them looked like they had been cobbled together from a collection of spare parts, as if Frankenstein had decided to make himself a menagerie. She stared at the beast in front of her. It had a toad's head and body with enormous bat wings on its back. She looked at the one next to it. It looked like a cross between a beetle and a dragon. The one next to it looked like someone had thrown together a cat and a rat. Donna looked back at the bat-toad and noticed it was staring at her quietly in the semi-darkness. Donna saw the look of sadness on its face and reached into the cage. She tentatively touched the frog's head, and her heart ached when the frog croaked softly and closed its eyes.

"God, what's going on here?" Donna murmured. "What's been done to these creatures?"

She rubbed the frog's head, and bit her lip, when he nuzzled her hand affectionately.

"The Doctor will sort everything out," she assured it. "I promise you that. Whatever's been done to you, the Doctor will reverse it. I know he will."

She kept her hand on his head until she was sure the creature was asleep. Then, she walked to the door, peeked out, and headed back the other way searching for Martha.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You imbecile! How could you have left it unguarded like that!" Lady Rose growled to Josiah, as she followed him down the corridor.

"I had no idea there was anyone else in there, my Lady," Josiah protested. "Until I scanned the Doctor's memories, I had no clue that the box was far bigger on the inside."

"If they have managed to free the Doctor, I shall have your head for this!" Lady Rose said, stomping towards the balcony.

They walked out onto the balcony, and Lady Rose ran up to the TARDIS. She tried to open it and let out an enraged yell when she found it locked. She began to pound furiously on the door.

"Let me in! I know you are in there…"

She paused and looked back at Josiah.

"What are their names?"

"Martha and Donna."

"I know you're in there, Martha and Donna," Lady Rose screamed, as she resumed pounding. "If you do not open up and allow us access, we will break down the door and make you both suffer!"

She broke off for a moment and stood there, glowering at the door, willing it to open. She let out a frustrated yell when it remained closed, and she rounded on Josiah.

"The Doctor, where is he?" she snarled at him.

"In the lab, my Lady."

"Out of my way!" she said, shoving him aside. "I will make him talk if I have to torture him the rest of the night!"

Josiah glared at her. Grumbling under his breath about how she would regret pushing him around one day, he hurried with her to the lab.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor slowly came to. His head was throbbing like crazy, and he let out an enraged yell when he realized what had happened.

"Damn him, I will make him pay for doing this to me!" he vowed.

He flinched, when the door banged open, and Lady Rose stormed in, followed by Josiah. She made a beeline for the Doctor, and he grunted when she seized his face and raised it up to hers.

"Answer me, Time Lord, or suffer the consequences. How do you open this TARDIS of yours?" she snarled.

The Doctor smirked.

"Why don't you ask your toady to go through my mind again. Maybe he'll find the answer."

He grunted when Lady Rose slammed his head into the metal table before bringing it back up to her face.

"I have no time for this, Doctor, so I will ask again. How do you open the TARDIS! I know you have two others in there, so it is no use hiding them from us. In fact, if you get them to surrender, we'll go easy on them!"

"Really, how do you define easy, then? Doctor Frankenstein will mate them with mice instead of elephants. Is that what you mean?"

He grunted when she slammed his head into the table two more times.

"I will not hesitate to make you scream, Doctor, if it gets me what I want."

"Go ahead, make me scream all you like. I'm not gonna let you get one toe inside my TARDIS, so you might as well let Doctor Jekyll have his way with me."

Lady Rose let go of his face. She locked eyes with him, and the two of them stared at each other.

"My Lady, perhaps the guards will find them. Surely, this Martha and Donna have left the TARDIS to look for him by now."

Lady Rose smirked when she noticed the flicker of fear that passed across the Doctor's face.

"That's what they did, isn't it, Doctor?" she said, gleefully. "They're not even in the ship anymore. They're outside it, looking for you. Well, it's a shame you've been so uncooperative with us. I suppose your friends will have to pay the price for your insolence."

"If you dare hurt them…"

"Oh, so you do care for them. Funny, I was under the impression you only cared about my double. You know Josiah was telling me some of the things he saw in your head. You and she were very close, weren't you?"

The Doctor flinched when she ran the back of her fingers down his cheek. Never in a million years would he ever think he would shy away from Rose's touch. But, he knew the truth now, this was not his Rose. It was some twisted facsimile from another dimension. He knew that every decision a person made caused several alternate realties to spring from it. He just hated the thought that an evil Rose had been born when his Rose chose at some point in her life to be good.

He wiped all emotion from his face, as Lady Rose stared at him intently. A sardonic smile spread across her face.

"What's wrong, Doctor, aren't you happy to see me anymore? You were happy to see me earlier when you thought I was your Rose. Don't you want me? After all, I'm every bit as good as she is, in fact, I'm better. Your Rose isn't royalty like I am, is she? She's just a simple girl. Why not become my paramour? After all, you're a Lord, and I'm a Lady."

The Doctor snorted.

"That's debatable," he muttered.

He waited for his head to be slammed into the table for that. Instead, Lady Rose gave him a scrutinizing look.

"Your friends will be found, Doctor, with or without your cooperation," she said. "As for you, well, I'm sure Josiah has something big in store for you."

"Indeed I do, my Lady," Josiah replied.

He stepped up beside her and grinned at the Doctor.

"Can you guess what your fate with be?"

"I'm going to marry a kangaroo in a wonderfully lavish, wedding ceremony, and be the proud parent of a bouncing baby joey named Rollo, who will eventually acquire the affectionate nickname, Rollo the rambunctious roo. Am I fairly close to the scenario you have in mind for me?"

Lady Rose looked at Josiah.

"Traveling in the cramped, blue box warped his mind, apparently," she said, to him.

"What? I'm wrong? Okay, am I going to be a daddy to a pugnacious platypus named Portia, or a belligerent bat named Beryl. How about a cocksure cockatiel named Cathy?"

"How about being the mate of a human girl named Rose?" Josiah shot back.

He sniggered when he saw the mixture of shock and horror on the Doctor's face.

"No. Don't you dare touch her. Leave her alone!" he said, fighting his restraints.

"What's wrong, Doctor? Suddenly, you aren't so cocky anymore," Josiah said. "I thought you would enjoy being reunited with the one you love, especially since she was torn so violently from your side."

Lady Rose looked at him.

"She was torn from his side?"

Josiah nodded.

"I will explain everything I saw, my Lady, it's quite interesting. He's quite a fascinating man. So much knowledge in him. Once we get through with him here, we can put him to use for the good of the kingdom."

"Hello, _he_ is right here," the Doctor said angrily. "And he is not going to help you in any way, shape, or form and he's warning you right now…leave Rose alone. Don't you dare kidnap her. I mean it. If you harm her, I will make sure both of you pay dearly for it."

The two of them stared at the Doctor with silent amusement.

"I must confess, the man intrigues me, my Lady," Josiah finally said.

"I share your intrigue," Lady Rose agreed.

The Doctor flinched, when she stroked his hair.

"He is very handsome; perhaps when we get through with him, I can have my way with him. After all, if he loves my double, then he'll grow to love me, as well."

"I seriously doubt that. You may look like Rose, but you're nothing like her. Rose is more of a queen than you'll ever be."

"We shall soon see," Lady Rose replied. "Josiah, I give you permission to find this double of mine. I'm anxious to meet this woman, and see for myself what she is like."

"I'm warning you…"

"And I'm warning you!" Lady Rose shot back. "You are at my mercy now. If I so desire, I could have you burned alive or make you watch, as your entrails are opened up and fed to you. I am the ruler of Valpora, Time Lord, and if you want to stay alive, you'll do as I say!"

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something, when suddenly, the door flew open, and a guard ran in.

"My Lady, we have caught an intruder," he said, bowing.

Josiah and Lady Rose stared at him and then turned to look at the Doctor, whose face was now ashen.

"Well, well, apparently your human friends_ were_ stupid enough to leave the safety of your ship. How unfortunate for them. Still, we'll be sure to make this one nice and cozy, while we find the other."

Ignoring the Doctor's renewed attempts at escape, she yawned and sighed.

"And now that I see things are getting back under control, I will bid you goodnight, my handsome Time Lord and leave you in my court scientist's capable hands. I shall see you in the morning."

Without another word, Lady Rose turned and walked out of the room leaving Josiah to deal with the enraged alien.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The Doctor racked his brain, thinking of a way to get free and stop Lady Rose and Josiah before they harmed, not only him and his companions, but Rose as well. When Josiah stepped outside for a moment to confer with a guard, he once again tried to break free of the restraints. He stopped struggling, however, when Josiah stepped aside and a lizard guard brought a struggling Martha inside.

"Doctor!" she yelled.

The Doctor tried even harder to break free, watching as they opened one of the empty cages and threw her inside. The guard slammed the door before she could escape and bowed to Josiah before leaving the room.

"One down, one to go, Doctor," Josiah said.

"Doctor, are you okay?" Martha asked.

"I'm fine."

"Doctor, I'm sorry we left the TARDIS, it was a dumb move, but we were worried about you."

"It's alright, Martha, it can't be helped now."

Martha looked over at Josiah who was studying her intently.

"What?" Martha said.

"So, you are a human?" he mused, "Fascinating. Apparently, you and the Time Lord share a common genetic link somewhere down the line since you resemble each other."

"I look this way because I choose to regenerate as a humanoid," the Doctor said, "It doesn't mean we are genetically linked."

"Besides you look just like us too," Martha pointed out. "You're a humanoid also. Perhaps you're linked to us as well."

"I doubt that. Valporans are higher life forms, both physically and mentally."

"And, you formed this conclusion after seeing a human for all of seven seconds. That's pretty impressive," Martha said, sarcastically.

"Ah, you have spirit. Interesting. I shall enjoy studying you and your friend when we find her."

"You will do nothing of the sort!"

Josiah chuckled.

"And how do you plan to stop me, Doctor? You are tied up and so far you haven't managed to escape."

"Just wait."

"Ah, it's so refreshing having strong wills to play with. Most of the life forms I have experimented on were dumb and docile. I wonder, Doctor, is Rose as strong willed as this one is?"

Martha stared at him in shock.

"Rose? What does she have to do with this?"

Josiah turned to her.

"I have seen into the mind of your friend. I have seen how deeply he cares for Rose, and I wish to bring her here to see her for myself, as does my Lady."

"And then mate us!" the Doctor spat out.

Martha turned her stunned gaze to the Doctor.

"Mate…you? With Rose?"

"Precisely, my dear. I want to create a hybrid of a Time Lord and a human and study it."

"But, that's sick. You can't do that to them," Martha said.

"They don't care, Martha," the Doctor said, angrily, "take a look at the creature in the cage beside you. That alone should tell you how much respect they have for the lives of others."

"And you, of course, know all about treating the lives of others with respect, Doctor," Josiah sneered, "the killer of your own kind."

"Don't you dare compare what I did with what you have done!" the Doctor snarled.

"Why not, Doctor? You claim I have disrupted and destroyed lives. Have you not done the same thing in your travels?"

"I have never made grotesque hybrids, like you have."

"Ah, but you did try to assist a Dalek Sec once in converting humans into Daleks, isn't that correct?"

The Doctor was stunned into silence.

"Well, answer me, high and mighty Time Lord. Did you or did you not willingly assist someone who wanted to make Dalek/human hybrids?"

"That was different. What I was doing had a purpose. It wasn't just throwing together two species for the hell of it."

"So, let me get this straight, Doctor. Since what you did had a noble purpose attached to it, that makes it okay then? Is that how you justify the slaughter of your people, or the genocide of the Racnoss, or the cruel punishments you meted out to the family because they dared to mess with you and Martha?"

"Doctor, what is he talking about? What _did_ you do to the family after you defeated them?"

Josiah smirked when the Doctor remained silent.

"Well? Are you going to tell her? Or are you afraid she'll think less of you if she knows the truth?"

The Doctor gave him a look of pure hatred.

"You had no right to go through my mind like that."

"Answer my question, Doctor."

"What you saw was none of your business."

"Answer me, Time Lord!"

"No, I don't think she'll think less of me if she knows the truth."

"Then tell her what you did."

The Doctor looked at Martha who had a confused look on her face. His hearts ached at the thought of her knowing the truth about what he had done to the family. What he had done, he had done in a blind rage, furious at the murders that had occurred and the disruption of people's lives. But, not only that, he had also been angry knowing he had broken Joan's heart when he had to kill John Smith in order to become the Doctor again. Knowing they forced him to alter his biology and make up the John Smith persona had filled him with unbridled rage, and he had let the Oncoming Storm loose, so he could teach them a lesson they would never forget. 

"Well?" Josiah said, when he didn't answer.

"Leave him alone!" Martha yelled.

"But, my dear, aren't you curious?"

"No, the Doctor wants some things kept private, and I respect that. Unlike you, I know when something is none of my business."

Josiah shrugged.

"Very well, if you wish to keep on believing the myth of the noble and just Time Lord, that is your decision. Far be it from me to shatter the fantasy world you've constructed. Just know, that I have seen things that I'm sure the Doctor would never want you, or Donna, or Rose to know."

"And just the fact that you took it upon yourself to go rifling through his memories proves to me that the Doctor is a far better man than you are, flaws or no flaws. At least, the Doctor doesn't walk around thinking he is God and can do whatever he wants with the life forms around him."

Josiah smirked at that.

"I would love to debate that point with you, my dear Martha, but I have a feeling we would be arguing for a long, long time."

He smiled warmly at her.

"Well, it's been nice meeting both you and the Doctor. I hope to meet Donna, and of course, Rose. But for now, I must get some sleep, so I suggest you and the Doctor do the same. I will see you both in a few hours. Until then, pleasant dreams, my new friends."

Martha gave him a dirty look, as he bowed deeply to her. Then, with one last look at both his captives, he turned, and with a chuckle, walked out the door and closed it behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Donna quickly ducked into the shadows when she saw a couple of guards pass by the corridor she was in. She had finally given up trying to find the Doctor for the moment and was trying to make her way back to the TARDIS, but the undecorated hallways all looked the same to her, and she quickly got lost. Now, she had been spending her time trying to avoid capture and trying to find Martha. So far, she had been lucky. No one had seen her. However, she knew her luck couldn't hold out for much longer. She needed to get back to the TARDIS and get inside before she found herself in a dungeon.

She inched down the hallway towards another door. Reaching it, she turned the doorknob and smiled when it opened. She looked inside the dimly lit room. It was someone's bedroom. More importantly, it was unoccupied at the moment. She slipped inside and shut the door behind her. She gave the room a once over. There was a large wooden bed against the far wall. The powder blue comforter shimmered in the torch light, and Donna marveled at its beauty. Beside it was a small bedside table. A couple of books and a small flat, black disc were on top of it. Across the room were a wooden dresser and an armoire. Next to that was a door. Donna opened it. It turned out to be a closet that contained several cardboard boxes, clothes, and lab coats on hangars. Donna noticed there was just enough space for her to stretch out and take a quick nap. She walked inside, closed the door, and slid down the wall to the floor. She breathed a sigh of relief and shut her eyes.

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The Doctor lay there on the lab table staring up at the ceiling. He finally convinced Martha to stop worrying about him and get some sleep. It took awhile since the hybrid in the cage beside her kept making neighing sounds, but she finally managed to tune it out enough to relax and drift away into a peaceful slumber. The Doctor leaned his head up and looked at her. Tormented thoughts went through his mind. What would Josiah do to her? It was bad enough he wanted to kidnap Rose and harm her, what sick, twisted idea would he dream up for Martha and Donna? So far, he had only seen the hybrid, but he was sure the sick bastard conducted other equally horrible experiments. Since Martha and Donna didn't have a romantic connection with him, that might mean he would kill them in some horrific way in the name of science. He cared for both of them and had no desire to watch them die in agony.

He tried his restraints and cursed when he couldn't break them. He let out a sigh of frustration. He had one of the greatest minds in the universe; he could devise the most intricate ways to escape from a trap, so why couldn't he figure out a way to wriggle out of these leather bonds? It was the fact that something so simple could keep him in bondage that angered him. His companion's lives were on the line, both current and former, and here he was, strapped to a cold table in a lab, unable to help them. Even worse, one companion had absolutely no clue she was being targeted for a kidnapping. That is, if she was even in this universe. Although, knowing his luck, she was. Anxious thoughts filled his mind. Would Josiah be able to find her in the midst of London? He had no idea where Pete's mansion was. He had never been there. He had been to Torchwood, but he didn't know where Rose's office was at or if Torchwood wasn't even at that location. For all he knew, they had moved the offices somewhere else. He was sure that his lack of knowledge about Pete's World wouldn't stop Josiah from torturing him for the information. Although, he reasoned, if he had gone through his mind enough to know what had happened with the Racnoss and the Family, surely he had seen that he had no idea where Rose might be. Course, he'd probably just torture him for the hell of it or to satisfy his sick scientific curiosity. That didn't really bother him. He'd been through torture before, and he'd go through it again. It was the torture of his friends that disturbed him. He glanced once more at Martha. She was still asleep. He was glad he had suggested it. If he was going to hurt her, he wanted her to be at full strength, so she could get through it with her sanity intact.

He suddenly had a thought. He and his companions were connected to one another through a low-level psychic field that was created by the TARDIS. Granted, it was just to keep tabs on them. He couldn't really read their minds per say. It was more just a sense of knowing when they were nearby, which was the same sensation he got with his fellow Time Lords when they had been alive. But, with Rose, it had been different. Rose had taken the vortex into her. When he drew it out of her; they became linked in a way that had never been possible with any other companion. They knew one another's thoughts, although the Doctor put a barrier on some parts of his mind and didn't intrude deep into hers as a courtesy. They could communicate telepathically and frequently did in the past. It had been this unique gift that had allowed him to send a summons through the gap and lead her to him that fateful day. Once the gap closed, his link with her was blocked. If this was the right universe, then he should be able to send another message to her, warning her of what Josiah was planning. Closing his eyes, he reached out and concentrated on trying to find her mind amidst all the other minds in the universe.

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"Thanks for a wonderful evening," Rose said, standing just outside Frank's front door.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Frank replied, "It's nice to spend an evening not thinking about work, eh?"

"Yes, it is," Rose replied.

They kissed each other deeply. After a moment, Rose pulled away and smiled at him.

"Good night, Frank, pleasant dreams."

"You too, ring me sometime tomorrow. You know I can't get enough of your beautiful voice."

"I will, night."

"Night."

Frank stood at the door and watched while Rose walked to her car. Once she was inside the car and headed down the driveway, he smiled, shut the door, and turned off the porch light.

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Rose drove through the streets of London on the way back to her parent's house. As she drove, she listened to the radio and sang along with the songs, trying to keep herself awake. She was feeling slightly tipsy and a little bit sleepy. She longed to get home, get in bed, and snuggle under the covers. She sped up a little and started to pass a car.

_Rose. _

She gasped and jerked on the steering wheel, nearly crashing her car into the one she was trying to pass. The other driver honked at her angrily and sped up, getting away from her. Rose slowed down and shook her head. She coulda sworn she had just heard the Doctor's voice in her mind. But, that couldn't be possible. The Doctor was stuck in the other universe. The gap had closed, and there was no way to reach her. For a moment, she had herself convinced it was the effects of the wine that had done it, and then…

_Rose. _

There it was again. His voice. It was faint, almost a whisper, but she swore on her life she had just heard him calling her name. She looked over at the pavement, angled her car over, and parked beside the curb. She turned off the ignition and sat there quietly, waiting and hoping to hear his voice.

_Rose._

Rose gasped when she heard it again. This time with the engine off and her mind at rest and focused, he came in more clearly, although his voice still wasn't much louder than a stage whisper. She closed her eyes, trying to send out a response that she hoped with all her heart he could hear.

_Doctor. I'm here._

She opened her eyes and sat quietly in the car, her heart beating rapidly while she waited for an answer. Then, just when she decided it had been a delusion brought on by the wine, she heard him again.

_Rose. Beware._

Her eyebrows went almost to her hairline. Had she heard that right? Beware? Was that what he said? Closing her eyes, she concentrated again.

_Beware of what?_

She opened her eyes and waited. After a moment, his voice came back to her.

_There is someone trying to find you. He will hurt you, Rose. Beware. _

"Yup, that's definitely the Doctor then," she muttered.

She closed her eyes.

_Who is trying to find me? Doctor, where are you?_

_Valpora. _

Rose frowned. She'd never heard of that planet, if that's what it was.

_A man named Josiah has kidnapped me. He's found out about you. He wants you, Rose. He wants us both here. He's trying to kidnap you. You must do something to prevent yourself from falling into his hands._

_How? What do I do?_

_Stay in your house. Do not go into work. Stay hidden. He has a tractor beam. He went through my mind and found out about you, but he doesn't know where you live because I don't know. He knows about Torchwood, though. So, don't go into work. _

"Went through your mind? Oh God, I don't like the sound of that," Rose muttered.

_Are you alright?_

_Yes, Rose, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself. Stay indoors until I send word letting you know it's alright. _

_Doctor, where are you? How are you doing this?_

_I'm in Pete's World on the planet, Valpora._

Rose gasped when she heard that. Suddenly, she had an urgent need to find Valpora. If the Doctor was in trouble, she had to help him somehow. But, at the same time, she knew he wanted her to be safe. Why else would he send her the warning? Still, the thought of him being in the same universe as her made her heart ache in a way it hadn't since Bad Wolf Bay. An insane thought seized her mind. She suddenly wanted to run through the streets of London, waving her arms while she screamed, "Here I am, come get me!" But, she knew if she got caught, the Doctor would never forgive her. However, that didn't mean she couldn't figure out a way to help him. She had Torchwood's resources at her disposal. She had never heard of Valpora, but that didn't mean Torchwood didn't have something in their databases about it. All she'd have to do was go in to work, go into their files and see if there was anything there. She knew she was disobeying the Doctor's wishes, but she just couldn't sit around and let something happen to him. Apparently, someone had already gone through his mind, what else were they doing to him?

_Rose, I know what you're thinking. Don't help me! _

Rose cursed. She wasn't sure if the Doctor had actually read her thoughts just then, or if he was guessing what was going through her mind, but she could tell from the way he had said that, that he wasn't fooling around. She knew now he would be enraged if she let herself be captured. She wished she could access the Torchwood files from home, at least then she would be helping him without risking her safety. But, the files were only accessible from the main headquarters, for security purposes. Conflicted thoughts swirled around in her brain. She didn't want to risk capture, she wouldn't be any good to the Doctor then. But, he was in trouble, and he was in the same universe now. She had to try to assist him in some way before he ended up dead. She had half a mind to ask him what they were doing to him, but she figured he wouldn't say since he didn't want her to worry about him.

Her head lowered to her hands. It was the Gamestation all over again. That same feeling of utter helplessness that tormented her when the Doctor sent her away had resurfaced. Where was he? Was he near, far? For all she knew, he was at the other end of the universe. His voice was very faint which told her he was a considerable distance away, which hurt even more. Suddenly, she wished he had never contacted her in the first place. Never had the phrase, ignorance is bliss, been more relevant to her life. Twenty minutes ago, she had been driving home after having a nice dinner with Frank and now she was sitting in her car, agonizing over the fact that her beloved was in danger, and she couldn't get to him.

_Rose._

Rose lifted her head when she heard his voice calling to her once more. His voice sounded so good after almost a year of unbearable silence. Her eyes misted over while she calmed herself enough to think back to him.

_Yes?_

There was a pause, and Rose panicked, thinking that something had happened while he was trying to reach her. Her imagination ran away with her, as she fantasized someone knocking him unconscious in the middle of their conversation. Then, once he was unconscious…

Rose quickly blocked that vision from her mind before it led somewhere unpleasant. She calmed herself once more and tried again.

_Yes, Doctor?_

To her immense relief, she finally heard him answer back.

_Rose, I…I know this isn't relevant to the situation at hand. But, I don't know if it will be safe to contact you again, and…I have to say this, so you will know, in case I never speak to you again._

There was another pause and Rose's breath caught in her throat. She had an idea where this was leading to and the anticipation of hearing him say the words she had longed to hear was almost too much to bear. Finally, she heard him speak again.

_My Rose…my beautiful angel…I…love you. That's what I meant to say that day when I was cut off, and I want you to know that. No matter what happens from here on out, I love you, and I always will._

Rose's head fell into her hands. Her body shook with her sobs. She wanted more than anything to be at his side. Raising her head, tears ran down her cheeks when she squeezed her eyes shut and thought, I love you, repeatedly, straining her mind with the effort, willing him to hear it loud and clear. At this moment, nothing mattered to her except him. Not her mum, dad, little sister, Mickey, Jake, Frank. All her friends and family became nonentities to her. Only the Doctor existed, and she wanted him to know it.

She knew her efforts were successful when she suddenly heard…

_Gee, Rose, I get the funny feeling you love me…a lot. _

Rose burst out laughing at that, imagining the Doctor following that up with a wink and a smile.

"Oh, Doctor," she murmured, "I miss you so much."

Then it happened. The words she had been dreading.

_I have to go now._

_No, no, no, no, don't leave me._

_I must. _

Rose felt her throat tighten. His voice sounded so sad now. It tore at her heart, and she suddenly felt like screaming out her anguish and frustration to the world at not being able to get to him.

_Rose, please, please promise me you'll respect my wishes and hide yourself away. When the danger has passed, I will let you know, but it will set my mind at ease knowing that you are inside your house and safe from his tractor beam. The man that has me is a maniac and if he captures you, he'll…_

There was a pause.

_Never mind. It's not important that you know the specifics, just know that he is obsessed with finding and kidnapping you, and you must not let that happen. Just give me your word that you'll do as I say and not take any foolish chances trying to rescue me. Will you do that for me, Rose?_

Rose swallowed.

_Yes, I promise. I won't do anything to endanger myself. _

_Good. _

She heard the relief in his voice and once again, she felt like screaming. Once again, the Doctor was sacrificing himself for her, and she hated it. She loved hearing from him, but on another level, she hated him for doing this. From this moment on, until he contacted her again, her every thought would be on him, wondering if he was safe, wondering if he was dead, wondering what was happening. She would think, obsess, and worry over him until it drove her to distraction. In a way, she was glad he was asking her not to go into work because she seriously doubted she could keep her mind focused on anything, except him. She knew now that she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

_Rose, don't worry about me. _

Rose laughed aloud at that. Surely, the man was joking.

"What's next, Doctor," she said, looking up at the roof of the car. "Go about your daily life as if nothing's changed? Have a fantastic life while I lay here being tortured and killed. Is that what you're gonna say next because if you are, don't bother. It ain't gonna happen."

_I love you, angel, remember that._

Rose let out another short laugh.

"Trust me; I wouldn't forget that even if I had a bleedin' lobotomy," she said.

_I'm so proud of you. I hope you are happy, and your family is all right. I know I upset you by doing this. I know all I've done is made you worry about me when there is nothing you can do. But, I had to warn you, angel. I had to let you know that you are being targeted, so you can have a chance to protect yourself. You mean more to me than anything, and I only want you to be safe. _

Rose smiled at that.

"My love," she murmured.

_Just…try not to worry, Rose. I'll get out of this somehow, I always do, you know. Just…be magnificent and honor me by having the best life you can possibly have. That's all I ask._

_Doctor!_

There was a pause.

_Yes, Rose?_

Rose bit her lip. She had to ask before it was too late.

_If…you do escape, will you come find me? I…I want to come with you when you go back to the other universe. Can…can I still come with you?_

For one heart stopping moment, there was no answer and then she heard the Doctor say, fondly…

_Of course, you can come with me if you want to, Rose. You are always welcome in the TARDIS. Course, I'm traveling with two other women right now, so it'll be a bit crowded, not to mention I'll be surrounded by estrogen. But, I will welcome you back anytime you want to travel with me._

Rose's heart felt a little bit lighter. At least there was that small flicker of hope. Even if she couldn't get to him, perhaps he would escape and then he would come and get her. It was a small comfort right now. She said a silent prayer that if she couldn't help him, the Doctor could escape somehow and if these two women who are with him are also in trouble, that they would escape with him. He didn't know who they were, but she wanted them to be safe also.

_I need to go, Rose. I want to rest awhile and it's quite a strain reaching across the galaxy to talk to you._

Rose raised her eyebrow. Reach across the galaxy? So, Valpora was in the Milky Way galaxy, then. It gave her another bit of comfort. At least he wasn't on the other side of the universe.

_I love you, Rose. Try not to worry. I know that's a tall order, but just have faith in me. I'll get out of this, kick their butts and be at your door before you know it. Just rest and relax and I'll try to do the same._

_I will, Doctor. Just be careful and give the gits that are holding you a good, swift kick in the arse for me._

_I will. Good night, my Rose._

_Good night, my Doctor. _

Rose sat and waited, just in case the Doctor said anything else. She sighed when she heard nothing further, and with a heavy heart, she turned the key, started the car, and headed towards home.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Just as she suspected, Rose didn't get any sleep that night. Oh, she did try. She really did. But, each time she closed her eyes, there was the Doctor staring back at her with those warm brown eyes and that loving look he reserved only for her. After about four hours of tossing and turning, she finally gave up, got dressed, and went downstairs, so she could take a walk.

As she walked around the grounds surrounding the house, she looked up at the sky and wondered where the Doctor might be. Fear gripped her heart. She hated this so much. Unlike the last time, there was no TARDIS to take her back to him. He had the TARDIS, and she had nothing.

She stopped moving and closed her eyes, concentrating.

_Doctor._

She waited and bit her lip when there was no response.

_Doctor, are you there?_

Again, there was no answer from him. Rose sighed. He could be asleep, but in all likelihood, he was choosing not to answer her, preferring to keep her at arm's length, so she wouldn't get caught up in the danger any more than she already had. The silence infuriated her, and it opened old wounds of being sent away whenever trouble got too close. Sometimes, she wondered why the Doctor had brought her along in the first place if she kept ending up on the sidelines. She understood his fear of losing her. She had the same fear for him, but that just made her want to help more in order to ensure his safety.

Sighing, she turned around and headed back to the house. Suddenly, a cup of tea sounded good.

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The Doctor stared up at the ceiling. The entire castle had gone quiet, even the panicked yells of the guards had ceased. He feared that meant that Donna had been found, but no one had brought her to the lab and it had been over an hour since they'd stopped talking, so he reasoned that maybe they moved on to a distant part of the castle to continue their search. He hoped that wherever Donna was, she was safe.

As he lay there, he suddenly heard Rose's voice in his head. She was calling to him, trying to re-establish contact. He swallowed hard and refrained from answering back. He wanted more than anything to speak to her, but he couldn't risk it. If he encouraged her, she would keep on trying to contact him, and if Josiah caught on to it, he would be back inside his mind in a heartbeat. It killed him to deny her and ignore her sweet voice, but he knew he had to do it so she would be safe. So, he steeled himself and ignored the sound of his name echoing in his mind.

At length, it ceased. The Doctor figured she had finally given up and sighed deeply, cursing Josiah for putting him in this position.

"You better hope I don't get free, Josiah, because if I do, I'm wringing your neck!"

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Donna's eyes flew open when she heard the sound of a door opening. In her groggy state, she thought it was the closet door and stiffened her body before realizing it was the bedroom door that was opening and closing. She kept her body stiff knowing that any moment the closet door might be opened and the game would be up. She sat there in the darkness, her heart pounding out of her ribs, while she listened to the person move about the bedroom.

"It's been an interesting evening tonight."

Donna held her breath when she heard a man talking. From the way he was speaking, it sounded like he was talking to someone else. Curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the door a crack. She saw a man sitting on the bed by the bedside table. He was holding the black disc in his hand and was speaking to that. Donna watched silently while he carried on his odd conversation.

"My tractor beam pulled a strange blue box called the TARDIS in from another universe," he was saying to the disc, "inside was three occupants, two humans named Martha and Donna, and a Time Lord named the Doctor."

Donna's heart stopped. This guy knew their names. What else did he know about them?

"The Doctor was captured and taken to my lab, in addition to the human named Martha."

"Shit," Donna swore under her breath.

"A search is still going on for the human named Donna, and I feel confident that she will be caught and join her friends in captivity."

"That's what you think, buster," Donna muttered to herself.

"The Doctor's mind has been scanned. I intend to do a deeper scan eventually and document everything that is in it. Perhaps, I will even make a copy of his memories, so I can peruse them at my leisure. As for Martha, I'm not sure what I will do with her, as of yet. Perhaps since there are two of them, I will perform a vivisection on her along with a complete removal of the brain for dissection and study. Donna, I will keep alive for further study and tests."

"Hurray for me, then," Donna said, dryly.

"I am also readying my tractor beam to locate a human named Rose Tyler. In the morning, I will began my search for her. I have very limited information on her whereabouts. I know that she resides in London, England on the planet Earth, and she works at a place called Torchwood. I have seen the Doctor's memories of this Torchwood when he was in this universe briefly. He looked out the window at one point at the surrounding buildings. I believe I can use this memory to triangulate Torchwood's location and bring the entire building to Valpora. Once the building has been brought here, I will order the guards to search for Rose Tyler and if she is not found or will not surrender to me, all humans in the building will be put to death. Once Rose Tyler is in my possession, I will mate her with the Time Lord to see if it produces a viable hybrid."

"What?" Donna whispered in disbelief.

Donna couldn't believe what she was hearing. Rose? The Doctor's Rose? They had found her? And…mate her with the Doctor?

"Viable hybrid," she whispered.

Her thoughts drifted back to the frog/bat creature, and she suddenly felt like she was going to puke. That's what that poor creature was? A hybrid? Donna suddenly felt the urge to burst out of the closet and beat the sick bastard to death. She knew now that she had to find the Doctor and Martha before this nutter did something to them.

The man laid the disc back down, yawned, and began to undress. Donna quietly shut the door and leaned back against the wall. She listened to the creaking of the box springs and then there was silence. She waited awhile in the darkness, her mind running at full speed, as she tried to process the information she had just heard. At length, she opened the door again and heard the man's soft snoring. She hesitated a moment, wondering if she should take this opportunity to leave the room. But, figuring that the guards wouldn't disturb the man if he was sleeping, she shut the door, leaned back against the wall and fell back into an uneasy slumber.

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Around seven o'clock in the morning, Rose got back out of the bed. Bleary eyed, she staggered downstairs. She could hear Jackie in the kitchen fixing breakfast, but she was in no mood to eat. She hadn't slept all night and she could barely keep her eyes open. She walked over to the phone, picked it up, and called Torchwood, so she could call in sick for the day.

"Torchwood," said the receptionist.

"Hey, Cathy," Rose mumbled.

"Rose? Is that you? You sound terrible."

"Yeah, that's why I was calling. I don't feel well, Cathy. I'm not gonna be able to make it in."

There was a pause.

"Are you sure you can't make it, Rose? That meeting with the ambassador from the Tartaun Federation is today."

Rose cursed. She had forgotten about that. The Tartaun Federation was a group of planets in the Andromeda Galaxy. They had sent an emissary on a mission of peace to discuss the sharing of information and technology in return for the right to build a fueling station on the dark side of the moon. Mister Stevenson, Rose's supervisor, had wanted her to help negotiate the deal, but after the Doctor contacted her, it had completely slipped her mind.

"Rose? Are you there?"

Rose sighed. She had no choice. This deal could benefit the human race immensely. She had to go in to work, danger or no danger.

"I forgot about that, Cathy. I will come in for that."

"Are you sure, Rose?"

"Yeah, Stevenson will have my head if I don't."

"Okay, well, see you at nine then."

"Bye."

Rose hung up the phone and groaned. She was going to have to jump in the shower and drink a ton of coffee in order to wake up. She was dreading it already. She only hoped she would be able to keep her mind on what was said at the meeting.

"Rose, honey, breakfast is ready!"

Rubbing her eyes, Rose slowly shuffled into the kitchen.

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Jackie sat at the kitchen table and stared quietly at her daughter. For the past fifteen minutes, she had done nothing except move a bit of ham around the plate with her fork. She looked half-dead, not to mention there were tearstains on her cheeks. She knew that she went to Frank's house for dinner. Had something happened between them?

"Rose, is something wrong?" she finally asked.

"No, mum," Rose muttered, not taking her eyes off her plate.

"Then why aren't you eating?"

"I don't feel like it."

Jackie sighed, deciding to be blunt.

"Rose, did something happen last night between you and Frank?"

"No."

"Then, what's wrong?"

Rose finally looked up. Jackie frowned. She looked like hell. Ever worse, there was a strange haunted look in her eyes. A deep sadness she hadn't seen for awhile. In fact, the last time she had seen it was just after Rose had been separated from the Doctor. Jackie reached across the table and took Rose's hand.

"Rose, please, tell me what's wrong. Did you and Frank have a fight?"

Rose shook her head.

"Then, what is it? Is Frank all right?"

"It has nothing to do with Frank."

"Then what is it?"

Rose glared at her.

"I'd rather not discuss it, alright?"

"No, it's not alright. You are out of sorts this morning, and I want to know why! I realize you're twenty one now, but I'm your mother and to me, you'll always be my baby girl. Now, please, tell me what's wrong!"

Rose slammed her free hand down on the table.

"Can I just be left alone for once, mum?"

"No, I want to know why you look like you've been up all night."

"Maybe, because I have been up all night," Rose said in a snotty voice.

Jackie glared at her.

"Don't talk to me like that, young lady!" she said angrily.

"Mum, I'm not in the mood to talk, alright? I have a lot on my mind!"

"Then, tell me and ease the burden. Sweetheart, I hate that you've become so distant. You've become like a ghost since you started working at bloody Torchwood. You're barely home and when you are, you never say what's on your mind and then you end up being angry all night. Frankly, I'm tired of it. For once, Rose, let me know what's going on."

"He's back, mum!"

"Who is?"

"The Doctor."

Jackie stared at her, stunned. She looked around the kitchen, half-expecting to see him come through the door.

"He's not here, mum."

"Then…where is he?"

Rose sighed.

"He's on some planet called Valpora."

"Where is that?"

Rose shook her head.

"I don't know," she said, sadly.

Jackie stared at her.

"How do you know this?"

"He contacted me last night, mum."

"How?"

Rose hesitated a moment. She never told her about the link they shared because then she would have to explain the Bad Wolf and taking the time vortex into her body, and she figured her mother wouldn't be able to handle the fact that her daughter had become a god for a brief time and ended up killing an entire Dalek fleet. Instead, she used the generic response.

"He found a communication device and was able to contact me with it," she said vaguely.

"Is he alright?"

Rose sighed.

"I don't know. He's…"

Rose carefully chose her words.

"He's being threatened by some maniac, and he figured out he was in this universe, so he called me to let me know he was here."

"Why? So he can take you away?"

Rose saw the anger in her eyes.

"Always knew that man would find a way back to you, eventually," she said angrily. "Can't leave well enough alone, has to come and find you, and put your life in danger all over again."

Rose stared at her in shock for a moment. Then, slowly, the shock turned to anger.

"And what if he does come for me?" she challenged, "what of it?"

"I'll tell you what of it!" Jackie shot back, "you have made a life for yourself here. You have a good paying job, a nice house, a nice car, family and friends, and _a boyfriend _that loves you. You telling me you're gonna chuck it all in to go back with him?"

"Yes!"

"Rose, it's time to grow up and be an adult!" Jackie yelled.

"I am being an adult!"

"No, you're not. An adult goes to a job, earns a paycheck, and has a nice career. An adult finds someone nice, gets married, settles down, and raises a family. A _child_ goes off with an irresponsible, half-crazed alien in a blue box and gets herself into all kinds of trouble just for the hell of it. You had your fun, Rose. You had your little adventures and saw time and space with him. Now it's time to leave that all behind and grow into a responsible young woman. Forget the Doctor! The man is in your past. What happened that day was meant to happen, Rose. You were meant to be separated from him because it was time to move on to the next stage of your life. You have spent an entire year building a life for yourself in this universe, and the minute he swans back in the door, you'll run back to his side and destroy it all! He is no good, Rose. He is nothing but trouble! He'll ruin you! He has nothing to offer you except death! Frank is a nice boy…"

"I DON'T LOVE FRANK!" Rose screamed, slamming her hand on the table.

Jackie was gobsmacked. She stared at her daughter's enraged face and silently cursed the Doctor for coming back just when everything was going great for Rose.

"You don't understand anything," Rose said through gritted teeth, "you don't understand the Doctor. He wants me to do more than…work a job, settle down, and have a kid. I don't want that, you do! You are trying to live your life through me because you never had the same opportunities I had growing up! But, you know what, mum? I don't want a domestic life. You may think I have the perfect life with the job and the car and the boyfriend, but…"

Jackie jumped when she slammed her fist down on the table.

"I'M DEAD INSIDE!" she screamed, "THE DOCTOR DIDN'T OFFER ME DEATH! HE OFFERED ME LIFE! WHEN I WAS WITH HIM, I WAS ALIVE, MUM! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, I FELT ALIVE! AND WHEN HE WAS TAKEN FROM ME, I FELT MYSELF DIE ALL OVER AGAIN! I WANT TO BE WITH HIM! CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? I'M NOT YOU!"

"Sweetie…"

"Don't sweetie me," Rose growled, "I'm tired of everyone telling me what to do and how to be and how to act. I'm tired of living up to everyone else's expectations and being the dutiful, little daughter who does everything that everyone tells her to do. You know what? Screw that! I want to be different! I want to be unique! I want to be free! And, that's what the Doctor is, mum. Freedom! Freedom from rules and restrictions and doing what everyone expects of you."

She stood up.

"The Doctor told me last night that when he's done with…whatever is happening on Valpora, he's coming back for me. I asked him to come, and unlike you, he didn't tell me to grow up and quit acting like a child. The Doctor sees more in me than you'll ever will, mum. And, that's why I love him so much. He lets me be me!"

"Honey, listen…"

"I gotta go take a shower now. I gotta get ready and go to this dream job I have, so I can earn a paycheck and eventually impress Frank, so he'll marry me and shag me, and we can live in the little white house with the picket fence and have 2.5 kids. Until the Doctor comes and gets me, that's the life I have to look forward to. Excuse me."

She turned and stomped out of the kitchen. Jackie watched her go and then with a defeated sigh, lowered her head into her hands.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

After spending most of the night worrying about what was going to happen, the Doctor finally managed to drift off to sleep. He dreamed about Rose. He dreamed about holding her in his arms, kissing her lips, stroking her soft, blonde hair. A dreamy smile formed on his flesh and blood face while he listened to her dream self whispering her love and devotion to him. She stared at him with her bright, brown eyes while she stroked his cheek affectionately.

"Doctor," she said.

The Doctor sighed contentedly, staring at her face.

"Doctor," she repeated, a little more forcefully.

The Doctor continued to stare at her face.

"DOCTOR!"

The Doctor gasped. His eyes flew open, and he saw the Lady Rose standing over him. He groaned.

"Aw, crap, wrong Rose."

He sighed.

"Yes, what do you want?" he said, testily.

Lady Rose narrowed her eyes.

"I would watch that tongue if I were you, unless you want Josiah to pull it out of your head."

"Yeah, yeah, what do you want?" the Doctor repeated.

"Just wanted to see how you were this morning," Lady Rose said, sweetly.

She looked over at Martha.

"And, I wanted to meet your…friend."

She walked over to her.

"So, which one are you?" she asked.

"I'm the one who's gonna punch your lights out if you don't let the Doctor and me go," Martha replied.

Lady Rose snorted.

"How very droll. That must be what passes for a witty remark on the planet Earth."

She reached through the bars and seized Martha's chin.

"Common looking," she said, turning up her nose, "shame, really, you could be beautiful with a bit of work on that face of yours."

"I wouldn't talk if I were you."

Lady Rose smirked.

"Oh, I know I'm beautiful, and I think your friend would agree. After all, I look just like his beloved. Isn't that right, Doctor?"

Martha looked at him.

"Doctor, what is she talking about?"

Lady Rose walked over to the Doctor and ran her finger down his cheek.

"He didn't tell you? I resemble his greatest love," she purred.

Martha stared at her.

"Rose?" she finally said.

"That's right, my dear. I am the Lady Rose, ruler of Valpora and oddly enough, my double bears my name, although I'm sure I'm far more beautiful and sophisticated than she is."

She sneered at Martha.

"I can guess that fact by looking at the company the Doctor keeps."

Martha's mouth dropped open.

"I'll tell you one thing," she said to Lady Rose, "I don't know Rose, except for little bits and pieces, but I'm pretty sure that unlike you, she isn't an egotistical bitch who thinks the sun shines out her arse, because if she was, the Doctor would have thrown her out of the TARDIS a long time ago."

The Doctor sniggered while Martha gave Lady Rose a look that dared her to do something to her. She raised her eyebrow when Lady Rose balled up her fist.

"Go ahead, punch me. Show us how much of a "lady" you really are."

They locked eyes and stared at one another while the Doctor watched silently. Finally, after about a minute, Lady Rose shook her head and turned away.

"You aren't worth the trouble, little whelp," she muttered, walking back to the Doctor.

Martha flipped her off when her back was turned. The Doctor suppressed a smile at that and gave Lady Rose his best poker face while she looked him over.

"You're a very funny man, Doctor," she finally said.

"Well, thank you, I do try my best. I enter every stand up competition and open mike night I can find. Actually won many of them, including a stint at the Yuk-Yuk Emporium on Gigglez Eleven, the humor planet. And, let me tell you, that was a tough crowd. See, the whole planet is dedicated to laughter, and the citizens of Gigglez Eleven are very picky about what makes them laugh. But, little ol' me stole their hearts with my routine about Omega and the rubber duckie. It was a hit! I had them rolling in the aisles, which is quite dangerous since the citizens of Gigglez Eleven are big, gelatinous blobs and if they bump into one another, they fuse, split and procreate. I'll tell you something, the population doubled the night I did my set. Probably a ton of tiny blobs on that planet are named after me now, and--"

"I mean, funny, as in odd, as in you don't seem to act like a lord would," she said, annoyed.

"Look, this whole Time Lord title, it doesn't mean I'm an actual lord with a manor, and land, and serfs. That's my job title, alright? That's what my people called the ones who were loomed to travel through time and space and keep an eye on it. So, I'm sorry if I don't quite fit the mold of a stereotypical lord. I was never one to put on airs and act all proper, and posh, and stuck up. That, to me, is dull and boring. Besides, it's better not to act a certain way. Keeps people from figuring you out and keeps em on their toes. It's more fun to be serious one moment and be a nutter the next. Keeps em all guessing. I mean I'm sure I have you flummoxed by now, don't I? You're probably thinking, "What goofy thing is gonna fly out of his gob next?" Well, the answer to that question is…cumquat. See, didn't see that coming, did ya? That's what makes me the life and soul of every party I go to. I--"

"Will you…shut…up!"

"Yeah, and eventually people start saying that to me too. Gets very irritating. Especially when I really get going with a brilliant thought or a witty anecdote. I'm just going on, and on, and on, and then I hear, shut up! It's a real blow to my self esteem, you know. I mean, I may be the all-powerful Oncoming Storm, terror of the Daleks, but deep down inside, I have feelings too, and those feelings can be hurt just as much as the next guy. All I want is a little respect…and perhaps a banana split with a cherry on top…ooo, and whipped cream too. Love that. But, anyway, as I was saying, it just irritates me that people think they can stop me right in the middle of my conversation. Especially when I have something important to say, which is almost always. I mean, I rarely mince words. Everything I say has some importance to the situation at hand, and--"

"Can I ask you something?" Lady Rose said, cutting him off.

The Doctor gave her an annoyed look.

"Oh, I suppose so, your royal rudeness."

"This Rose of yours, how in the dark underworld could she stand to be in the same ship as you?"

"Um…tons of patience and several crates of earplugs?"

Lady Rose sighed and shook her head, as the Doctor snickered. He leaned up and winked at Martha who gave him a thumbs up.

"You know, I believe I will leave you alone. I have better things to do than listen to your mindless prattle all day," Lady Rose said.

The Doctor feigned shock.

"Mindless prattle? What are you talking about? I told you, everything I say has relevance to the situation at hand and--"

He was cut off when Lady Rose backhanded him across the face.

"How about if I do cut out that tongue of yours?" she snarled at him, "perhaps that will teach you to shut up when I tell you to!"

The Doctor glowered at her.

"I don't care who you resemble, hitting me is a very bad idea, and I guarantee I'll show you just how bad it is when I get out of these restraints!"

He stiffened when Lady Rose drew back her fist and prepared to hit him. Just then, the door opened and Josiah walked in. He froze when he saw Lady Rose with her fist in the air.

"My Lady, what's going on?" he said, confused.

"I am teaching this insolent cur a lesson about obeying me."

"And I'm ignoring her and getting the snot slapped out of me. All in all, it's been a very interesting morning so far," the Doctor replied, airily. "I've been abused by a megalomaniacal brat, and Martha got to watch the fun. How about you? Did you enjoy your rest? I notice my other companion isn't anywhere near you. Must mean you didn't catch her yet, and to that I say, Donna Noble, that's my girl!"

"It's true, I haven't caught Donna yet, but it's only a matter of time. Guards are posted at all exits and all around your TARDIS. There is no escape for her."

Josiah walked up beside Lady Rose and bowed.

"Aside from that, my Lady, I wish to report that I have been trying to locate Rose Tyler. Working from the Doctor's memories, I have located Torchwood, which is where she works, and I'm about to use the tractor beam to pull the building directly to this planet."

The Doctor's eyes bugged out of his head.

"Wait, you are taking the entire building?"

"Yes," Josiah said, looking at him. "I don't have time to find one human girl among that overcrowded mess on Earth. I will simply take her workplace, bring it here, and search the building that way.

"Oh God, it's the Judoon all over again," Martha muttered.

Josiah smiled at her.

"In a manner of speaking, my dear. I will bring them up here and like the Judoon, I will send in troops to find Rose Tyler. If she is not found or refuses to give herself up, everyone will die."

The Doctor turned as white as a sheet. He swallowed hard, suddenly regretting his decision to tell Rose not to go into work. Because of that, he had just doomed an entire building of innocent people. Josiah turned to Lady Rose.

"With your permission, I will begin preparations to bring the Torchwood building to this planet."

"Permission granted."

"Wait!"

Everyone looked at the Doctor. He let out a defeated sigh.

"There is no need to do that. Send me down to Earth, and I will retrieve Rose."

Josiah and Lady Rose gave him skeptical looks.

"How do we know you won't try to run off with her?" Lady Rose asked.

"Because I will work under a time limit, if I haven't located her, then you can bring me back."

Lady Rose bent over.

"How about this? You get a time limit and if you don't find her or you try to run off with her, we bring Torchwood to this planet when your time is up, go in and torture and kill everyone we find there?"

"Deal."

"Doctor," Martha said.

The Doctor looked at her.

"I don't have a choice. If I don't do it, they'll bring up the entire building and if they don't find Rose, they'll torture the people inside to find out where she is. Then, they'll use the tractor beam again. Am I right?"

"You are correct, Time Lord," Josiah said.

"So, if I go down there, I'm saving a lot of innocent people a lot of pain and suffering."

"If you want to view it that way, then yes," Josiah said, shrugging.

"And if I don't go down there, you'll keep pulling up buildings and torturing people until you finally do find her."

Josiah looked at Lady Rose.

"You see, my Lady, the Time Lord catches on fast."

"Yes, he does, the question is will he actually do what we want?"

"I give you my word. You can track me and if I try anything, you can pull me up and put me to death. Just let me be the one to go get Rose."

Josiah smirked.

"You see, my Lady, there are ways of controlling the lovesick fool without resorting to violence."

The Doctor rolled his eyes when they both chuckled at that.

"Very well, Doctor," Josiah said, "we will set you down beside this Torchwood building first. You will then have a half hour to find Rose Tyler and get back to the same spot, so we can bring you back here. If you are not back before the half hour is up, the entire building gets pulled up to Valpora, and you and everyone in it will forfeit their lives."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The Doctor stood in the front of the tractor beam, as it slowly moved through the Milky Way galaxy on its way towards the Earth. It had been about an hour since he left Valpora and he had only gone a fraction of the way. Even at full speed, he figured it would take another couple of hours to reach Earth. He considered contacting Rose through their link, warning her beforehand that he was coming, but then he decided not to. If she was at Torchwood, he wanted their reunion to be a surprise. He wanted to see the look on her face, hear her ecstatic voice, and see the joy before it was all wiped away by Josiah. That was another reason why he wanted to come get her. He wanted to savor every moment of being together with her, in addition to making sure she was all right. He had no desire to lay strapped to a table while Josiah's mutants shot up her workplace. Also, he didn't want Torchwood anywhere near Valpora. Rose may be an employee there, but he still didn't trust them. There was no love lost between him, and Josiah, and Lady Rose. They were sadistic, evil assholes, but that didn't mean the entire planet was that way. He didn't like that he was voluntarily bringing Rose into danger, but at least he trusted her not to pull out a huge ray gun and blow up half the planet, claiming it was in defense of Earth. Besides, he knew Rose could handle whatever was thrown her way, unlike the other people in that building.

He paced back and forth in the tractor beam. At first, he had watched the stars and planets passing by him, but the novelty of traveling through space without the TARDIS wore off quickly, and he turned his attention to the situation at hand. He found himself in a quandary. Should he tell Rose what Josiah had planned for her, or not? On the one hand, he wanted her to be aware of what lay ahead, but…how to break it to her? He just couldn't blurt out and say, Rose, you know I told you there was this maniac who was after you? Well, he wants to take your eggs and my sperm, make a hybrid, and turn you into an incubator for it. Congratulations, Rose, you're gonna give birth to an alien/human hybrid. He shook his head cursing Josiah for doing this to them. He couldn't bring himself to tell her about it, but he knew he had to. She had to know, so she could prepare herself.

What worried him was how her body would take it. Gallifreyans hadn't been born from a womb since Rassilon defeated the Pythia and brought down her tyrannical rule. She had cursed the Gallifreyans with infertility as a parting gift to her former subjects, and they had come up with the looms to compensate. He had been loomed, as had all his brothers, and sisters, and cousins, and every other Gallifreyan for eons. Certainly, no human had ever given birth to a Gallifreyan, despite the jokes he had made in his eighth life about having a human mother after he had regenerated as a half human in an odd and ill-advised experiment. He had no idea what the pregnancy would do to Rose. He was terrified that he would be strapped to the table, watching helplessly while Rose sickened and died. These people didn't care about her like he did. In fact, he was sure they would find it funny to see his distress, as he fretted over the death of an insignificant human girl. He put his head in his hands wondering how he would get everyone out of this before his companions ended up pregnant or dead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After another couple of hours, he finally caught sight of Pluto. His hearts began to beat faster knowing it wouldn't be much longer now until she saw Rose and had to explain to her what lay ahead.

"Oh, Rose, forgive me, please forgive me for doing this to you," he said to himself, "I don't have a choice"

He paused.

"No, that's not entirely true. I do have a choice. I could just let them kill me, but…I'm a coward, Rose, just like I was on the Gamestation. I'm a coward and now you, and Martha, and Donna will suffer because of it."

He sighed, as he passed Pluto on his way towards Neptune.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After another half hour, the tractor beam finally reached Earth. The Doctor stood and put his hands in his pockets watching as the beam slowly penetrated the Earth's atmosphere.

"I hope to God, Josiah got it right, and I am actually landing in London and not Germany, or Japan, or Bora Bora, or Cucamonga. After all, Josiah has never been to Earth. For all I know I could end up at Lake Titicaca, or Timbuktu. I guess I just have to trust that Mister Mad Scientist knows what he's doing."

He breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed he was moving directly towards Great Britain.

"Good, Josie-boy's done his homework. I feel a little bit better now," he said to himself.

A few minutes later, he saw the Thames. His eyes widened when he noticed he was heading for it at full speed.

"Um…okay, you can slow down now!" he yelled out, "I really don't want to end up climbing out of a huge hole in the street beside Torchwood because you don't know how to let up on the petrol."

To his immense relief, the tractor beam did start to slow down when he entered the London skies. He watched with fascination when he saw he was heading towards one of the zeppelins. He passed right by it and smiled when he noticed there were several people staring out the gondola windows at him, completely shocked.

"Hi there!" he said, waving cheerfully to him, "Nice day for a blimp ride!"

He was going on fast, he didn't get to see their reactions. He headed on towards the ground beside Torchwood. When he was several feet from the pavement, the beam slowed down, almost to a crawl. He waved to the people below, as they stopped and stared up at him in disbelief.

"Hello there! Beautiful morning!" he called to them.

His feet touched the ground lightly, and the tractor beam shut off.

"Perfect landing, I'm impressed," the Doctor said, straightening his trench coat.

Ignoring the shocked looks of the bystanders, he hurried towards the entrance to Torchwood.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cathy looked up when she saw a tall, thin man enter the lobby. She smiled pleasantly when he walked up to her.

"May I help you?"

"Yes, I'd like to see Rose Tyler, please."

"I'm sorry, sir, Rose Tyler is in a meeting at the moment."

The Doctor stared at her.

"And…" he finally said.

"Rose Tyler is in a meeting," Cathy repeated.

"Yeah, you just said that. Now, please page her and get her down here, so I can see her."

"Sir…"

"Doctor, call me Doctor."

Cathy sighed.

"Doctor…Miss Tyler is in a very important meeting. I can't disturb her."

The Doctor leaned over.

"What is your name?"

"Cathy."

"Well, Cathy, I have less than a half hour before you and everyone else in this building takes a little unscheduled trip to the outer spiral of the galaxy. Now, if you don't want to end up answering calls on the planet Valpora, you will contact Rose Tyler and get her down here. Trust me; I am much more important than any meeting she's in. Now do it before I go up there and find her myself!"

Cathy stared at him for a moment. The Doctor, unflinchingly, stared back, his dark eyes boring into her. Finally, she threw up her hands.

"Fine, whatever, anything to get you to leave."

The Doctor gave her a warm smile, as Cathy picked up her phone and dialed a two-digit number.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rose could barely keep her eyes open.

She sat there beside Mister Stevenson, her eyelids drooping while she struggled to stay awake during the meeting. The representatives from the Tartaun Federation had nearly finished their negotiations, much to her relief. After it was over, she was going to request the rest of the day off, so she could go home and sleep.

She had nearly dozed off when the phone in front of her suddenly rang. She gasped and jerked her hand, nearly knocking over her cup of coffee. She shot her boss a sheepish look when he glared at her. He sighed angrily, muttering to himself about how he told Cathy not to disturb them, while he picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" he said, with barely contained anger.

He sighed.

"Cathy, I told you not to bother us while we are in the middle of this meet…"

There was a pause.

"Doctor who?"

Rose perked up at that. She turned her full attention to the phone conversation. Her suspicions were confirmed when her boss looked her way.

"She is in a meeting, Cathy. Whoever this Doctor is, he'll just have to wait--"

He gasped when Rose jerked the receiver out his hand.

"What is the meaning of this, Tyler?" he said, angrily.

"Cathy?" Rose said, ignoring him, "this Doctor? Can you describe him for me?"

Cathy looked up at the Doctor.

"Um…well, he's really thin, like an anorexic."

The Doctor's mouth fell open.

"Excuse me?" he said.

"Um…and he has brown hair that's really messy and sticking up in all directions."

"Well, gee, I'm so sorry my hair is messy. I didn't have a comb with me in the tractor beam," the Doctor said, dryly.

Cathy leaned in to him.

"And he has really beady eyes."

"Will you just get Rose Tyler down here, so I don't have to listen to your insulting description any--"

This time he was cut off when Rose let out a shriek that was so loud, Cathy had to jerk the phone away from her ear. Seizing the moment, the Doctor snatched it out of her hand.

"Rose?" he said.

His eyes widened when all he heard was the receiver clattering to the floor. He handed the phone back to Cathy.

"Never mind, I think Rose is on her way down," he said, "if you could just tell me where the lifts are, I'd appreciate it."

Cathy glared at him and pointed off to her right. The Doctor smiled, nodded, and hurried to them.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The Doctor's hearts beat rapidly, as he ran to the lifts. At last, at long last, he would see Rose again. He stopped in front of the lift doors and looked up at the numbers above them. There were two lifts, side by side, and only one of them was going at the moment. The Doctor went to the one on the left when he noticed its numbers lighting up in descending order. With a mischievous grin, he threw open his arms and froze waiting for the moment when the doors would open, and he would be reunited with his long, lost love. He stood in that position, keeping his eye on the numbers as it got closer and closer to one.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the number one lit up. The Doctor looked straight at the doors and held his arms open wide, his body tense with anticipation. The doors opened and…

The sole occupant, an overweight, balding man, blinked when he saw the Doctor standing in front of him with arms outstretched. The Doctor had a deer in the headlights look, as he stared back at him.

"What are you doing?" the man demanded.

"Uuuuuuum…I'm…practicing my fish story for my mates down at the pub," the Doctor said.

He looked down at his arms.

"See, I caught a fish, and it was thiiiiiiiiiiiis big!"

He put his arms down.

"How was that? Sound convincing enough?"

The man shook his head and pushed past him.

"No?" the Doctor said, staring at the man's back.

The Doctor muttered to himself. Then, as the doors began to close, he suddenly had a brilliant idea. He caught the doors, pulled them back open, stepped inside the lift, leaned casually against the back wall and waited. Sure enough, the lift started back up without him pressing any buttons.

"This better lead to Rose," he muttered.

He put his arms over his chest while he watched the numbers light up. Finally, the lift stopped on the twenty-second floor. His eyebrows rose when he heard a man yelling outside. The doors opened, and there stood Rose with her back to him while a middle-aged man with short, brown hair bellowed at her.

"Are you insane, Rose!" the man screamed, "you can't just leave in the middle of the meeting!"

"I don't care about the meeting, Mister Stevenson; I have a friend that's trying to meet me! I have to go see him!"

"Your friend can wait! This is an important trade agreement!"

The Doctor walked over to the other side of the lift, pushed the door open button, and kept his finger there while he listened to the argument.

"I mean it, Rose, you walk off this floor, and you are fired!"

"No, you can't fire me because I quit!" Rose shot back.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh no, watch me!"

Rose backed into the lift. Still not seeing the Doctor, she waved at Stevenson.

"Goodbye, been nice knowing ya!" she said, "I have a friend that's waiting downstairs that's going to take me away to a better life!"

"You won't do it! You'll be back here in five minutes begging for your job back!"

"P'eh, in your dreams. I've had my fill of you and of Torchwood. So, see ya!"

The Doctor heard Stevenson stomp away. Rose turned to push the button and finally saw the Doctor.

"What floor, miss?" he said, in a high-pitched voice.

Rose let out another shriek and flung herself into his arms.

"Oi! Watch it!" the Doctor said laughing, "you're gonna crush my lungs!"

He threw his arms around her and held her tight, as the lift doors closed.

"Doctor! Oh, God, it's really you!" Rose said, burying her face in his chest.

The Doctor lowered his head to hers and breathed in her old, familiar scent. He kissed the top of her head while Rose laid her head on his shoulder. He smiled when she turned her head and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. Reaching over, he pushed the ground floor button, and then put his arm back around her.

"Rose, listen to me, we don't have much time," he said, "we have to be back outside the building in less than ten minutes."

Rose gave him a quizzical look.

"Why? What happens in less than ten minutes?"

The Doctor sighed.

"I haven't escaped from Valpora, Rose. I'm still a prisoner. I came down via a tractor beam that Josiah has. He knew where Torchwood was and was going to use the tractor beam to take the whole building up to the planet. If they did that, they would probably torture and kill everyone, or at the very least, enslave them. I couldn't let that happen, so…"

He trailed off.

"You volunteered to come get me," Rose finished.

"I'm sorry, Rose. I really am. I didn't have a choice," he stammered," I never should have done this. I should have let them torture and kill me. Please forgive me, Rose. I--"

"No, don't. I'm glad you came and got me," she said, "I was so worried about you. I'd rather be with you on Valpora than be stuck here on Earth wondering what's happening to you. Whatever you want me to do; I'll do it, so long as I'm with you."

The Doctor smiled sadly. He gave her another tight hug, dreading the moment when he would have to tell her about the hybrid experiment.

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Rose looked up at the sky. She was standing with her arms wrapped around the Doctor while they waited for the tractor beam to pick them up.

"How much longer?" she asked.

"A few minutes, I think."

Rose laid her head against the Doctor's chest. She fingered his lapel loving how good the material felt. She didn't know what was going to happen, but as long as she was with the Doctor, she felt safe. She knew no matter what happened, he would get her through it all right, he always did.

They stood there, ignoring the people who were giving them odd looks as they walked around them, being comforted by the closeness of each other's bodies. Suddenly, Rose's mobile rang. She glanced up at the Doctor, and he shifted away slightly, so she could take the phone out of her jacket pocket. She looked at the screen and groaned. It was Frank. Swallowing hard, she hit the talk button.

"Hey," she said, as cheerfully as she could.

"Hey, how's my girl?"

Rose looked at the Doctor. She could tell he had just heard what he said from the way his eyebrows had raised.

"Um…I'm fine, Frank," she said, wishing she could melt through the pavement.

"How's work going?"

"Oh, you know, same old, same old," Rose said, vaguely.

"Ugh! That bad, huh?"

"Yeah," Rose said softly.

There was a pause.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

Rose sighed. She looked at the Doctor who had an unreadable expression on his face. She fingered his lapel.

"Listen, I…gotta go…out of town for a few days…on assignment."

"Oh, no, really?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

Rose glanced at the Doctor.

"This afternoon."

"You can't cancel it?"

"No, it's a very important assignment. People are depending on me, and I can't let them down."

"Oh, well, you better call your mum then."

Rose frowned.

"Why?"

"Well, she just called and asked me to come over for supper tonight."

Rose mouthed a curse.

"Look, can't you call her back and tell her you can't make it?"

"Well…why can't you? I assume you have to call her to tell her you're going out of town, right?"

Rose sighed.

"Right," she said, dreading that conversation, "just let me hang up then, so I can call her?"

"You got it."

There was a pause.

"I love you, Rose."

Rose shot another glance up at the Doctor. He appeared interested in the conversation, but that was all. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to say…

"I love you too."

"Bye, hon."

"Bye."

Rose ended the call.

"Boyfriend?" the Doctor asked.

Rose lowered her eyes to the ground.

"I'm not angry, Rose. I told you to go ahead and live your life, and you did that. I would have been more upset if you had sat around waiting for me for the rest of your life."

Rose bit her lip.

"Yeah, it's just that…"

She shook her head.

"I never really loved him the way I love you."

She studied his face. He was trying to keep his expression neutral, but Rose saw a flicker of relief pass across his face for a moment.

Suddenly, a bright blue light surrounded them. Rose started to panic, but the Doctor grabbed her arms.

"It's okay, it's the tractor beam," he said, pulling her into an embrace.

Rose nodded. She watched as they were slowly lifted off the ground. Luckily, no one was around this time to gawk at them and they quickly picked up speed, as they were lifted into the air. Rose looked around at the city and then looked down at the mobile.

"I better call her quickly then," she said.

She dialed Jackie's number. It rang two times before her mother picked up.

"Hello?"

"Mum?"

"Sweetheart, is that you? You're fading in and out."

"Yeah, it's really bad reception. Listen, I'm gonna be out of town for a few days, so call Frank back and tell him not to come for supper!"

"What?"

"Call Frank back and tell him not to come over!" Rose yelled.

"What?"

"Call…"

She cursed when the line went dead.

"Great," she said, putting the mobile back in her pocket, "well, I tried to reach her."

She put her arms around the Doctor and watched as the blue atmosphere slowly faded to black. Then with a twinge of sadness, she saw the Earth become smaller and smaller as they were pulled away from it towards Valpora.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Rose stood and watched Mars, as the beam took them past it. The Doctor was sitting and watching her quietly. It had been about twenty minutes since they had left Earth's atmosphere, and she could tell that the Doctor was wanting to say something to her, but for some reason, he wouldn't say it. Not wanting to rush him, knowing that he would tell her in his own time, she focused instead on the planets and stars, marveling at them. The TARDIS didn't have any windows she could see out of, and it was interesting seeing the planets up close. But, watching Mars soon became mundane, especially since it was a dead planet to begin with. Sighing, she walked over and sat down beside the Doctor. He put his arm around her and smiled at her.

"Bored already? Blimey, it took me an hour before I stopped watching the planets, you sure are hard to impress, Tyler," he teased.

Rose shook her head.

"We've been to Mars, so it's nothing I haven't seen before," she said, dismissively.

"Ah, but wait till we come to Jupiter. Now that is an impressive sight," the Doctor said, "especially the Great Red Spot on its surface. It's truly awe-inspiring."

Rose couldn't help but smile at that. Heading towards possible danger and death and the Doctor still wanted to show off the universe to her. Some things never changed.

"Sounds good," she said, "I just hope I can stay awake for it."

"Why? Are you sleepy?"

The Doctor turned her head towards him. He was shocked when he saw how bleary eyed she was.

"God, are Torchwood meetings really that boring?" he said.

Rose chuckled.

"No, I didn't get any sleep last night," she said, softly.

Guilt overwhelmed the Doctor's mind. He was afraid something like this would happen.

"Then lay your head on my lap and get some sleep," he urged.

Rose shook her head.

"No, I want to stay awake."

"Rose, it's gonna take at least three hours to reach Valpora. Trust me; you can afford a quick nap, especially since you'll need all your strength for what lies ahead."

"What is going to happen to me, Doctor?"

There it was again. That moment of hesitation. Rose knew whatever was going to happen to her, it wouldn't be pleasant, and she knew the Doctor didn't want to say it, because it would bring home the reality of it for him. She laid her hand against his cheek.

"Please, tell me what's going to happen," she said, searching his eyes, "whatever it is, I can handle it. Please, I want to know."

The Doctor took her hands and kissed the back of each one.

"I want you to take a nap first," he said, gently, "I want your sleep to be peaceful before you find out what's in store for you."

"Doctor, I…"

The Doctor cupped her head with his hands.

"My love, please do this for me," he implored, "I want you to have one more peaceful nap before all hell breaks loose. I promise I'll wake you up after an hour and then we'll talk, but you're tired. I can see it in your face. You're on the verge of passing out, and I'd rather tell you what's going to happen when you're awake enough to process it fully. Please, sleep."

Rose nodded. The Doctor shifted his body, as Rose lay down. She put her head on his lap while she stretched out her legs behind her.

"I'm going to miss Jupiter, you know," she said, glancing up at him.

"Well, when we escape Valpora, I'll take you, and Martha, and Donna to see it," he replied, "that way, all my companions will be impressed at the same time."

He stroked her hair, as Rose let out a sigh and closed her eyes.

"I love you, Doctor," she murmured.

"I love you too, angel, now go to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake."

Rose giggled.

"Well, duh, I didn't think you'd be on the outside of the tractor beam, you silly git."

The Doctor laughed at that and slapped her arm playfully.

"Cheeky," he said to her.

Rose yawned.

"Yeah, I am, but you like me that way," she murmured.

The Doctor smiled, as he watched Rose drift off to sleep.

"Yes, I do," he whispered to himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Donna slowly opened the bedroom door. She stuck her head out, looked one way and then the other. So far, so good. No guards and no sounds indicating any were nearby. She had been very, very lucky so far. A few hours earlier, she had woken to the sound of the man getting ready. She had panicked when she realized that he might open the closet door to pull out a fresh outfit, but to her relief, he never did. She figured he had just put the clothes on that he had worn the day before or perhaps he had some already lying out. Whatever the reason, she was glad he hadn't looked inside. There wasn't anywhere she could have hidden and judging from what he had said into the black disc, he would have had no qualms about hurting her.

She edged out into the corridor and shut the door behind her. She had to continue her search for the Doctor and Martha and do it quickly before the maniac turned them into lab rats. Taking a quick look around, she turned to her right and ran down the hallway.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor glanced over at Pluto, as they passed by it. He looked back down at Rose sleeping peacefully in his lap. Reaching down, he gently pulled stray strands of hair away from her angelic face. He knew that this nap would probably be the last trouble-free sleep she would have in a long time. That was why he insisted she do this. That, and he was still trying to put off telling her about the hybrid experiment. He knew he was going to have to do it eventually, and it made his hearts ache knowing that moment was drawing closer and closer with each second. He was also going to do everything within his power to stay by her side throughout the whole thing. He'd be damned if they tied him to that table again while she languished in some dark dungeon, pregnant, scared, and alone. That was another reason why he had wanted to come get her in person. Now that he had her back, he swore it would take a crowbar to pull them apart.

He looked down when he heard Rose moan and slowly open her eyes. He put his hand on her head, comforting her in case she was disoriented. She blinked twice and looked up at him.

"Well, I guess you made good on your promise to stay right here with me," she said.

The Doctor giggled.

"Yeah, well, you know me, a man of my word."

He helped Rose to sit up.

"Are you sure you're alright? We're not even close to Valpora yet, if you want to get some more sleep."

"No, I'm fine; I really just needed a quick nap. I feel better now."

She studied the planet they were passing.

"What's this one?"

"Pluto."

Rose looked at him.

"We only made it to Pluto? How long have I been asleep?"

"Not long, about forty five minutes."

"Blimey, I thought it was longer than that."

"Well, that's why I asked if you wanted to sleep a little longer. We've probably got another two, two and a half hours till we reach Valpora. You don't have to wake up now."

"No, it's alright. I feel fine, honestly. I drank a ton of coffee and had a shower this morning and that helped to wake me up. Plus, seeing you again really woke me up. I'm better now."

The Doctor nodded. He sighed. Now was as good a time as any to tell her what he knew. He might as well get it over with, so he could calm her well in advance of their landing. He shifted his body and pulled her back into him, so she was sitting in between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, letting her know he was there.

"Rose, I have to tell you…"

He swallowed hard.

"I have to tell you what they have in store for you, so you'll be prepared."

Rose nodded, her eyes filled with worry when she saw how hard it was for him to get the words out.

"I'm not afraid, Doctor," she said, "I've traveled with you long enough that nothing fazes me anymore."

"Um…I'm not so sure about this though, Rose. This is…monumental, even by our standards."

That boggled Rose's mind, making her even more curious. What could possibly top being trapped in another universe away from him? She laid her right cheek against his shoulder while she waited patiently for the Doctor to speak.

"I suppose I'll start with the less disturbing revelation and work my way up," the Doctor finally said.

Another moment of silence and then the Doctor turned his head slightly to look at her.

"Rose…you know how this universe's Jackie had that yorkie, and we thought that was this universe's Rose?"

"Yeah."

"We were wrong. There is another Rose. You do have another double in this universe, and she is the ruler of the planet Valpora."

He fell silent letting Rose process that information. He could see a bevy of emotions reflected on her face while she thought.

"This…Rose, is she like me?" she finally said.

The Doctor shook his head.

"She looks exactly like you, but that's as far as the resemblance goes."

Rose's eyebrows went almost to the top of her head.

"Is…is she…a good guy?"

The Doctor shook her head.

"She's one of the ones that is holding me and my companion, Martha, captive."

"There's an evil twin me holding you prisoner?"

"Yup."

Rose's eyes widened.

"Blimey, I thought that crap only existed on soap operas."

The Doctor chuckled at that.

"Nope, there is an evil bitch version of you."

Rose remembered their earlier conversation.

"Is…she the one who…went through your mind?"

The Doctor's face became hard and his eyes turned cold.

"No, her court scientist did that."

"Josiah?"

The Doctor nodded. He closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them, Rose saw the old familiar mixture of anguish and guilt within them. She felt his arms tighten around her, as he nuzzled her cheek with his own. Again, Rose waited patiently knowing that the Doctor was preparing himself to say whatever horrifying thing he was going to say. She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his cheek on hers and the soft, steady sound of his breathing. Then, she felt his lips press against her cheek in a gentle, but firm kiss. Then, she felt his lips slowly move along her cheek back to her ear.

"My love," he whispered in her ear, "my precious love, know that what I'm about to tell you, I will fight against with all my being. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Do you understand that?"

"Yes."

The Doctor leaned his head against hers, and Rose listened to his breathing for a moment before he kissed the top of her ear. She heard him swallow hard and let out a ragged sigh before he finally whispered into her ear.

"Josiah…is completely off his rocker. His favorite pastime seems to involve taking two different species, combining their sperm and eggs or however it is that they procreate, and putting it back in the womb of the procreating parent to see what he comes up with."

Rose felt sick to her stomach imagining what this madman had created using that method. The Doctor hesitated for a moment and then forced himself to speak.

"This tractor beam that we're in has the power to pierce the void and grab things from other dimensions. This is how I came to be in this universe. He grabbed the TARDIS, pulled us back through the void and when we landed at his castle, he captured me."

Another short pause.

"He didn't know what I was; the Time Lords exist only in one universe, unlike other species. Well, you know me, Rose. I was being my usual pigheaded self and wasn't telling him voluntarily who I was, so he decided to knock me out and poke around in my mind to try to find out what I was and why I was traveling around space in a little blue box, as he put it. While he was rummaging through my memories, he inevitably stumbled upon you. Now, when I first stepped out of the TARDIS, I mistook this other Rose for you and I…put my arms around her and gave her a big ol' smooch."

Rose giggled at that, which made the Doctor chuckle in return.

"Needless to say, Lady Rose, as she calls herself, was gobsmacked that this alien creature would act like he knew her so well. Which, of course, led to them wanting to know why I was so forward and being so affectionate with the queen instead of paying little miss royal psychobitch her due reverence."

He gave her a lopsided grin when she snorted out laughter.

"Well, she is. She may look like you, but thank God, you are far, far better than she ever will be."

He sobered up and held her closer.

"So, Josiah went through my mind, found out about you and became curious about our relationship. He had never seen Earthlings before, and I guess he found it odd that an all-powerful Time Lord could have feelings for one. Well…one thing led to another in his twisted mind, and he got a sick, perverted idea."

He gulped, trying to steady himself for what he had to say next. Rose put her hand against his cheek trying to let him know that she could take whatever he had to say.

"Oh, Rose, I'm sorry. I wish I could have done something to prevent Josiah from accessing my memories," he said, sadly, "if I hadn't grabbed onto your double and gave her a kiss, he probably wouldn't have gone through my mind looking for a reason why I did that."

"Doctor, it happened. Don't cry over spilled milk. Whatever happens, we'll get through it and get out of it like we always do," Rose said, "please, tell me what they want to do with me."

The Doctor nodded. He decided he couldn't dance around the subject anymore. He had to get it out in the open, or he wouldn't be able to say it at all. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed Rose's hands.

"Rose, what I said about the hybrid experiments…that's what he wants to do to us. He wants to mate us and see what happens."

He paused letting it sink in. He could see conflicting emotions raging on her face. Finally, she looked at him.

"I…He wants me to have your kid?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Is…that even possible?"

The Doctor sighed.

"I don't know, Rose. That's the other thing I'm worried about. My people didn't procreate the way humans do. We don't have sex. We were loomed, which means we were formed from genetic material with the help of a machine. I mean…I do have the…boy bits, but that's because when I regenerate in human form, I get everything a human male does. I've never used my penis for anything except peeing."

He ran his hand through his hair.

"I do have semen, but again, it's only because I have everything a human has. My sperm…"

He paused.

"Oh, God…"

"What, Doctor?"

"It may not even matter."

"Why?"

"I doubt my sperm functions normally. I may be infertile, and if I am, and he can't get you pregnant…then, there's no reason to keep you alive."

The Doctor's head fell into his hand, and he let out a series of curses in several different languages damning Josiah to Hell, or something similar to it.

Rose's head was spinning. Pregnant with the Doctor's child? And, after she told her mother she had no interest in having a kid like an average woman. She loved the Doctor, but having his child had never even entered her mind since she knew how dangerous time travel was, and the last thing she wanted was to be on the run from a monster while she was trying to breastfeed a baby. The thought of this man making them have a child sickened her to the core, and she suddenly understood why the Doctor had been reluctant to bring it up. She was sure he was just as disgusted as she was. But, the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't help wondering what the child would be like. Would it be like her or like him? Would it have two hearts, a respiratory bypass system, and regenerative capability? Would it have his mind or hers? Suddenly, she understood the whole fascination Josiah had with mating them. But, just because she understood his reasoning didn't mean she approved of his whole scheme.

"There's more, Rose."

Rose's eyes nearly popped from her head. More? What could possibly top her having an alien baby? Once again, the Doctor paused, took a deep breath, and then blurted out what he needed to say.

"This is only speculation, mind, because as I said, I have no idea what the pregnancy would do to you. But, I'm sure there's a chance there would be complications that might result in your…death."

Rose bit her lip. He was telling her all this in a very clinical, detached way. She knew he wasn't doing that to be callous or unfeeling, but just the opposite. He loved her more than anything, and he knew the only way he could tell her this fact without losing it completely was to keep all emotions out of his explanation. But, as she looked at him, she could still see the pain and fear in his eyes, and it made her heart ache even more. Rose could sense he was silently blaming himself for everything, beating himself up for not allowing them to kill him rather than risk her life. She kissed her cheek, wanting him to know that she did love him and didn't blame him one bit for what happened or would happen. As far as she was concerned, this changed nothing between them. If she did get pregnant, then she would do what she did with every situation they faced. Take it one moment at a time until it was resolved. It was all they could do right now, although she hoped there was a way out of this without her being artificially knocked up by a nutter.

She wrapped her arms around the Doctor, and he laid his head against hers. In a way, knowing what lay ahead made everything seem less scary. At least she knew why they wanted to kidnap her. She also knew that she would fight tooth and nail to keep it from happening. She may get pregnant, but she was going to make damn sure she made it as hard as possible for them.

After saying all he needed to say, the Doctor lapsed into silence and both of them sat in the tractor beam holding onto one another while they slowly watched the universe pass by.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

At last, after walking through corridors that all looked the same, Donna finally found a flight of steps leading down. She went down them slowly, still keeping her eyes open for any guards. At the bottom of the steps, she saw a landing with a door off to the right and in front of her, another flight of steps going down. She chose to keep going, and at the bottom of those steps, she found another landing with a door and more steps. She kept going down and down, noticing that the further she went, the more the air began to reek of mold and rotten urine. She noticed too that the plastered walls were giving way to bare, concrete ones, and she began to wonder where she was going.

As she descended, she started to wonder whether she was headed towards the dungeons. Her suspicions were confirmed when she reached the last step and stepped out into a dark, dank, musty passageway. Torches hung from the ceiling, lighting the way. On either side of the narrow passageway, Donna could see the iron bars of cells. The mold and urine smell was overpowering, and she put her hand over her nose and mouth in an attempt to keep herself from vomiting. Ahead of her, dark grey vermin that looked like a mole with a bat's head darted in and out of the cells. Donna couldn't help but wonder if it was more of that man's experimental tinkering that had somehow gotten free and bred in the dungeons.

She inched forward, cautiously, keeping her eyes peeled for any undesirables just in case she needed to sprint back up the steps again.

She hesitated a moment and then took her hand away from her mouth.

"Doctor? Martha?" she said, in a loud whisper.

She put her hand over her mouth and moved forward again. She moved a few feet, took her hand away, and called again. After receiving no response, she repeated the gesture again.

The third time she did it, she heard someone moving inside the cell on her left hand side. Cautiously, she reached up and took a torch from its holder. She walked in front of the bars and held the torch up in front of her.

"Doctor? Martha?" she said.

She spied a man coming towards the bars. He was filthy and bore signs of abuse on his body. His long, red hair hung limply around his angular face.

"There is no Doctor or Martha here," the man said, "I am the only one down here at present."

"Who are you then?" Donna asked.

"My name is Haban; I am the leader of the Valporian resistance."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Slowly, the Doctor began to recognize planets and stars that he had seen just after leaving Valpora, and he knew that it wouldn't be long now until their alone time was ended. He had enjoyed being here with her. All by themselves, with no other distractions, the Doctor had passed the time by filling her in on some of the adventures he had in the past year, and Rose filled him in on what she had been doing. It helped relieved their boredom as well as soothe the butterflies in their stomachs. The Doctor knew that Rose was terrified although, to her credit, she was trying not to let it show. She had let him do most of the talking and although he tried to be cheerful and even joke around while telling her his adventures, he could tell at times that her mind was a million miles away from him, lost in the possibilities of what might happen to her. But, amazingly, she somehow managed to hear him at the same time since she frequently interrupted with questions. It amazed him that she could do that without any effort. It proved to him once again that she was no ordinary human girl.

He held off telling her they were nearing Valpora for as long as he could. He didn't want her to start worrying ahead of time and ruin their peaceful reunion. When the planet came in sight, then he would let her know. For now, he was doing his best to joke around and tease her, trying to keep the tension to a minimum and bring her some joy that she could hold on to when the situation became bleak. He had told Rose that he would hang on to her, no matter what, but in the back of his mind, he knew that if they had agreed to let him go get Rose, they must have a plan to separate him from her once he was back in their clutches. If that happened, his one trump card was Donna. If she hadn't been caught yet, then she could be the one that would end up rescuing all of them.

When she had found him and helped him defeat Miss Foster and the Adipose, he had been grateful for her help and happy to see her. But, when she asked to travel with him, he had been a bit skeptical. When they had first worked together, she hadn't done much of anything except screech at him and call him a Martian. He had decided to take her along on a trial basis, although he didn't call it that to her face. But, to his surprise and delight, she quickly proved she was not only smart as a whip, but a fierce and capable fighter. The Doctor was especially grateful when they went to Pompeii, and she helped him defeat the Pyrovile. He had given her the TARDIS key after that, a symbolic gesture he used to let his companions know that he considered them worthy enough to travel with him on a full time basis.

After that, Donna worked even harder to prove herself to him, and the Doctor quickly came to rely on her just as he had relied on Martha and Rose. All three women were more than capable of handling themselves and there was no doubt in the Doctor's mind that his red-haired companion was still at large somewhere in the castle, causing the guards headaches and laughing at their inability to find her. If anyone could rescue them, it would be his clever, brave Donna Noble. Josiah had made a huge mistake bringing them all to his planet. In all of the two universes, he had manage to capture the four people that could bring him down and end his patron's royal rule, and the Doctor was determined to do both things before he left.

Twenty minutes later, the tractor beam passed a moon, and the Doctor spied Valpora. He pointed it out to Rose and helped her to her feet. He stood behind her, wrapping her arms around her protectively while they watched the planet grow larger and larger in front of them.

"I'm here, Rose, don't worry."

Rose squeezed his hand in reply.

It took another fifteen minutes before they finally hit the atmosphere of Valpora. The Doctor glanced down at Rose and noticed she was looking around at her surroundings with curiosity rather than fear. She looked down and noticed they were going towards an enormous castle.

"Is that it?"

"Yup."

He held her against his body, as the beam drew them closer. He could finally see the tractor beam, Josiah, and Lady Rose who were standing beside it. Behind them stood several armed guards.

"I see the welcoming party has come out to greet us," he said to Rose, "don't see my TARDIS though; they must have moved it somewhere."

"Is that Josiah and…my twin?"

"Yup."

Rose had a thought.

"Won't my meeting her create a paradox or something?" she said, giving him a worried look.

"No, because she's not really you. She's just another version of you. It's the same thing as Mickey meeting Ricky. And, it's what I kept trying to tell you when you insisted that this world's Pete was exactly like your dad. Nothing will happen to you if you touch her. Well, nothing that will implode the universe, anyway."

They neared the balcony, and Rose finally got a clear view of her double. Both women locked eyes with each other while Josiah slowed the beam down and shortened it. The Doctor looked from one to another. Despite his fears of what might happen to Rose, this little meeting and Rose's reaction to it fascinated him. He guessed that Mickey had much the same reaction when he first met Ricky. Rose was staring at her double with a mixture of disbelief and awe, but the Lady Rose returned it with the same haughty, snotty look she had given him and Martha. He could guess what was going through her mind. He figured she was already dismissing Rose as an inferior copy of herself. In fact, he could tell from the way her nose went up in the air that his inference was probably correct.

Their feet touched the stone surface of the balcony, and the Doctor held on to Rose tightly, as Josiah switched off the tractor beam. The two sets of people stood there, quietly sizing up each other. He was amused by Josiah's reaction. He kept looking from Rose to her double and back again, in what he figured was a visual comparison between the two. He tightened his hold when Josiah walked up to them.

"So, this is the legendary Rose Tyler," he said, "the woman who managed to capture the heart of a Time Lord."

He gave her a mock bow. Rose rolled her eyes and glanced up at the Doctor.

"So, are you going to impregnate me now, or do we get to lie down first?" Rose spat at him.

Josiah beamed.

"Oh, so you did tell her my plans," he said to the Doctor, "excellent, saves me the trouble. You will get a comfy cage, my dear, right beside the Doctor's companion, Martha. He, on the other hand, will be going back to his little lab table."

"Oh no, he will not."

Josiah glared at him, but the Doctor met his gaze, unflinchingly.

"I will be caged with her. If she's going to undergo this insane experiment, I want to be with her, both for support and to assist her should there be any complications with her pregnancy. And, for that matter, I want Martha in the same cage with us. She has medical training, and I want her to be able to help me, if I need it."

He smirked.

"Now, if…Donna is around, then I want her with me too."

He paused and studied his eyes.

"Donna has been caught, or am I wrong about that?" he said.

He let out a gleeful laugh when Josiah remained silent.

"Oh, Josie-boy, you're losing your touch. You mean to tell me you can capture Martha and me, but you can't capture Donna. And she's not even that imposing…well, unless you count her mouth, but other than that, she's not super-strong or abnormally agile, but ooooh, is she clever!"

"That's right, Time Lord, go ahead and gloat."

"Thanks, don't mind if I do. Anyway, as I was saying, you and your miserable little motley mob of mutants can't rustle up a rambunctious, resourceful little red-head. How sad for you. Guess you should have combined species with actual intelligence when you decided to create your hybrid army. Maybe this will teach you a lesson about pulling random aliens down from the sky, so you can play with them. Not only did one of your lab rats escape, but she has shown she's more than capable of navigating your maze."

"And so," Lady Rose cut in, "here you are, the great and mighty Time Lord pinning all your hopes on a little human girl."

The Doctor looked at Rose.

"See, Rose, I was right. She's not you because, unlike you, this woman is dumber than a box of rocks."

"Watch it!" Lady Rose growled, pulling back her fist.

Rose quickly brought her fist up.

"Do it and die!" she snarled at her.

Both women stared at one another with murder in their eyes. The Doctor and Josiah watched in silent fascination. Lady Rose neared closer to her double. She looked her up and down and snorted disdainfully.

"You may look exactly like me, but I can see that you lack the breeding and sophistication that I naturally possess."

The Doctor bit his lip and shook with silent laughter when Rose boomed out a, "HA!"

"Oh, sister," Rose said, "you may think you're the bee's knees, but underneath that fancy frock, you are just a chavvy little twat."

Lady Rose's mouth fell open while the Doctor sniggered.

"I'm a what?"

Rose smirked.

"A…chavvy…little…twat. See, I'm not afraid of you. I've faced far worse than you and lived to tell the tale. And I'm telling you right now. You lay a hand on the Doctor; you will live to regret it. No one…hurts the Doctor and gets away with it. You want proof; ask the Daleks I turned into space dust."

She leaned forward.

"And if I were you, I'd do just what the Doctor wants, because if you don't…things will get very nasty, very quickly. Trust me."

Lady Rose glanced up at the Doctor who was giving her a smug look. She looked back at Rose who was mirroring it. She snorted.

"Fine, you two want to be together, so be it. But, if I were you, I would watch your tongue because I'm not as big a pushover as you imagine."

"Neither…am…I." Rose said, emphasizing each word.

Lady Rose rolled her eyes. She turned to Josiah.

"Take them away; put them in a cage together. Do what he wants; just get these idiots out of my sight before I rip their hearts from their chests. I'm going to lie down."

"Nice of you to welcome us home, Queenie!" the Doctor yelled out, as she hurried away, "you could have baked some biscuits for us though, we're both hungry after our galactic road trip."

The Doctor looked at Rose, pride bursting out of his hearts, when he noticed her flipping her off. Rose looked up at him and smiled back. The Doctor glanced over at Josiah who was eyeing them both.

"Well, are we gonna go inside or are we all just gonna stand here and hurl some more insults at each other?"

Josiah didn't reply. He looked back at the guards and nodded. The guards came forward, surrounded the Doctor and Rose, and led them away towards the lab.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Lady Rose stomped down the corridor towards her bedroom. She was seething inside, livid at being made fun of by this other Rose.

"Think you can speak to me however you please just because your boyfriend was right there protecting you?" she muttered under her breath, "insolent little whelp. I'll see you writhing in pain for humiliating me! After Josiah is done with this idiotic experiment, I will drag you out to the courtyard by the hair on your head and whip all the skin off your body while the Doctor watches. Then, after you are dead, I will put him, his friends, and your little hybrid monstrosity to death. No one talks back to me and gets away with it!"

She was almost to her room when a guard slithered around the corner and headed towards her. He had the body of a snake and the head of some red frilled reptilian creature that Lady Rose couldn't even begin to identify. The green of its body coupled with the primary red color of its head made him look odd. Lady Rose muttered under her breath, cursing herself for allowing the scientist to conduct his bizarre experiments in the first place.

"My Lady," the reptile hissed, "I wish to report that the other human has not…"

"Out of my way!" Lady Rose said, pushing him to the side.

"But, my Lady, the human is still loose in the castle."

He gasped when Lady Rose spun around and stared at him with a red face and flared nostrils.

"THEN, WHY ARE YOU HERE? WHY AREN'T YOU OUT LOOKING FOR HER? DID YOU EVER STOP TO THINK THAT WHILE YOU ARE HERE TELLING ME YOU HAVE NOT FOUND HER, THAT SHE IS GETTING AWAY? I DON'T CARE IF YOU HAVEN'T FOUND HER! I CARE IF YOU AND YOUR IDIOTIC COMPANIONS HAVE CAPTURED HER! AND YOU KNOW WHAT? WHEN YOU FIND HER, DO WHATEVER YOU LIKE WITH HER! SUFFOCATE HER IN YOUR COILS AND DEVOUR HER FOR ALL I CARE! AT LEAST THEN, I WON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH HER AND HER FRIENDS ANYMORE! NOW, GET OUT OF MY FACE BEFORE I HAVE YOU SKINNED ALIVE!"

The guard stared at her in stunned silence, as she stomped past him, flung open the door of her bedroom, and slammed the door. He started to slither down the hallway, flinching when he heard the sound of something breaking in the room followed by the Lady Rose's enraged screams. Terrified that she would make good on her promise to flay him alive, the snake creature quickly slid away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor grunted when one of the guards jerked on his arm.

"Easy there, this coat was Janis Joplin's!" he said angrily. "I had to beg on my knees and buy her a new guitar before she let me have it!"

The guard ignored him. He and his companions pulled the Doctor and Rose through the lab door.

"Doctor," Martha said.

"Hey there," he replied, smiling at her, "kept the straw warm for us, I hope?"

Martha looked from him to Rose. Her eyes widened. She really did look like Lady Rose. The only real difference that she could see was her hair was down around her face instead of swept up in a bun and she didn't have the same air of superiority. Martha watched quietly while the guards dragged them over to the cage beside her, opened it, and pushed them inside.

"You know, it may come as a surprise to you lot, but the three of us are your guests here and as such, we should be treated with hospitality bordering on groveling. I don't believe shoving us in a big cage with dirty, matted straw qualifies. So, how about if you let us all out, put us up in a lovely room, and perhaps serve us a nice seven course meal with all the trimmings? After all, none of us asked to come here, so I think a little respect is in order and--"

He jerked his head back when one of the reptilian guards spit in his face.

"That's all the respect you deserve mammal!" he said to him.

The Doctor slowly wiped the spit off his face while the guards laughed and walked out of the room.

"Hey!" he yelled, "where do I register a complaint for your crappy service? With little miss empress prissy? If so, then get her butt back in here, I have a thing or two to tell her!"

Muttering to himself, he walked to the back of the cage and sank down beside Rose.

"I'm so glad I have companions. I doubt anyone would believe half the stuff that happens to me without eye witnesses around to verify."

He smiled at Rose.

"So, Rose, what do you think of Valpora so far?"

"I hate it."

"Really? I think, despite its obvious flaws, it has sort of an offbeat charm to it. I mean once you look past the egotistical spoiled brat sitting on the throne and the guy who's seen Frankenstein one too many times, it might actually make a nice holiday spot."

"If you say so, Doctor," Rose muttered.

He gave her playful poke in the side and glanced over at Martha.

"So, I guess introductions are in order here. Martha Jones, Rose Tyler, Rose, Martha."

"Nice to meet you," Rose said, extending her hand through the bars.

"And you," Martha replied cordially, shaking it.

"And, I'm the Doctor."

They stared at him and his outstretched hand. Rose glanced at Martha and grinned.

"Hello, Doctor, nice to meet ya," she said, shaking his hand.

"Oh, I'm just absolutely charmed and delighted to make your acquaintance, Miss Tyler. Funny us getting the same accommodations though. I guess they were short on space. Still, I suppose I can be chivalrous and let you have the bed while I take the sofa, eh?"

Martha laughed, as Rose put her head in her hand and groaned.

"Ugh, sometimes, I don't know about you, Doctor," she said, through her hand.

"Well, I don't know about you either, miss Tyler, which is why I'm introducing myself."

He smiled and shook Martha's hand.

"And you must be the enchanting Miss Jones, charmed, very charmed to make your acquaintance."

"Same here, Doctor," Martha said, bowing her head.

"Well, now that introductions are out of the way, and we all know one another, have you heard anything from Donna?"

Martha shook her head.

"Not since we split up to look for you and that was sometime last night," she said.

"You don't think they caught her?" Rose said.

"God, I hope not, she might be our only hope of escape now," Martha said to her.

"Um…hello…what am I, chopped liver?"

"Well, gee, you're sitting right here in the cage with us," Rose said.

"That doesn't mean I don't have some brilliant plan up my sleeve. I just haven't thought of it yet."

Rose stared at him and then looked at Martha.

"So, anyway, we're pinning our hopes on Donna then, yeah?"

They giggled when the Doctor gave her a playful smack on the head.

"I'll just pretend you didn't say that, Tyler," he muttered.

"Still, least they don't have you strapped to that table now," Martha said, gesturing to it.

"He wouldn't let him do it. He told them in no uncertain terms that he was coming in the cage with me."

"And then, right after that, Rose started dissing herself," the Doctor added.

"She deserved it. The woman was a spoiled, stuck up toff."

"And I agree, Rose, but I would advise against you doing that in future, seeing as how your life is on the line," the Doctor said, "she's holding you prisoner, and she can easily make your life and your pregnancy a living hell."

"You were laughing too. You thought it was funny."

"Yes, well, then I thought better of it and realized that it's really not wise to make miss royal nutter psycho woman angry, especially since she can tell Josiah to do something nasty to you. If you do get pregnant and want to get through it without screaming nonstop, then I would err on the side of caution and hold your tongue, alright?"

Rose nodded.

"Yeah, you're right, still at least I did get to have a go at the git."

She looked at Martha.

"I can't believe I'm saying that about my double," she said to her.

"Well, I don't know exactly what you said to her, but royal nutter psycho woman is a pretty fitting description, "Martha replied, "although, I'd have to say that the mad scientist has been a lot worse than she has. So far, the other Rose hasn't really done anything except smack the Doctor in the face. Josiah went through his memories."

The Doctor's face darkened at that.

"I s'pose the Doctor told you what he wants to do with you," Martha said to Rose.

Rose nodded. Martha scooted back and gestured to the hybrid beside her.

"You want an example of his handiwork, you don't have to look very far," she told her.

Rose leaned up and looked at it. Her heart went out to the creature when she saw it flopping around in the straw.

"What is it?" she said, looking at the Doctor.

The Doctor sighed.

"It has a Dolphinin body, and a Phillipicorn head."

Rose listened to it whinnying softly.

"The poor thing," she said.

"Yes, it needs to be in water, at least the Dolphinin part of it does, but the Phillipicorn part needs air, so if it was put in water, the thing would drown. So, yes, this is the perfect example of how Josiah does things. Mix two creatures together that can't co-exist and when it doesn't work out, dump it in a cage and let it suffer."

Unconsciously, Rose's hand went to her stomach. If she did get pregnant and was able to bring the baby to term, is this where the child would end up? In a cage, suffering because it was made from two species who weren't compatible with each other? The Doctor noticed her hand on her stomach and took it in his. He gave it a comforting squeeze, and Rose smiled at him gratefully.

Just then, the door opened, and the Doctor's grip on Rose's hand became tighter when Josiah entered the room.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Josiah grinned at them.

"Well, well, so we meet the mysterious Rose Tyler, at last," he said, walking over to her.

He bent over and smiled at her.

"Yes, the resemblance to my lady is even more evident in person. I can see why the Doctor was so confused when he first saw her."

He looked over at the Doctor who was watching his every move.

"And bravo to you, my dear Time Lord, you did just what you said you would do. That's very admirable. Kind of a shame, though. I was hoping for a little game of find the fugitives so I could gain a number of new test subjects. Ah, well, perhaps some other time. Right now though, I wish to start our little experiment."

"Josiah, listen to me, it may not work," the Doctor said.

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Because my people didn't procreate the conventional way. We were made by machines."

Josiah glanced down at the bulge in his trousers.

"Funny, you seem to be equipped to procreate in the conventional way."

The Doctor sighed.

"Yes, and as I was telling Rose, that is because I chose to look like a human when I regenerated. I have all the human parts, but I'm pretty sure I'm infertile."

"Ah, well, that's no problem. I've dealt with several instances where creature's sperm wouldn't fertilize the eggs. I have ways of getting around that. You may not procreate in that manner, but if you have the means to do so, then I can make them work."

The Doctor muttered a curse under his breath, he was afraid of that. He had hoped that he would be able to use that argument to talk him out of it, but naturally, if he was combining different species together, he had to have a way to get around the infertility that would crop up from time to time. Scooting closer to Rose, he decided to try a different tactic in a last ditch effort to save her from this fate.

"Listen, please don't do this. You've done enough damage. Rose doesn't deserve to have this happen to her. Do what you want to me. Cut my head off and slap an aardvark's head on, but just let my companions leave."

Josiah sighed.

"And here you were cooperating so nicely."

"I'm warning you, Josiah, if Rose's body is permanently damaged, or she dies, you will find yourself the subject of your own unpleasant genetic experiment."

Josiah snorted.

"Don't believe me? You saw my memories. You saw what I'm capable of if I get angry enough. Don't mess with me, Josiah, I'm warning you."

Muttering under his breath, Josiah walked over to a drawer, opened it, and pulled out a blaster.

"I hoped it wouldn't come to this, Doctor," he said, "I really don't like expending precious energy forcing people to do things I want them to do. But…"

He aimed the blaster and fired it at Martha. The three of them let out terrified screams when the bolt hit the wall inches from her left ear.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" the Doctor bellowed.

"Then, do as I say, Doctor. You and Rose will submit to this, or I will knock you all out and when you wake, your lover and your friend will be lying on lab tables with their guts strewn across their chest. So, your choice, Doctor. You wanna do it the easy way, or the hard way?"

The Doctor's body shook violently with silent rage. His eyes were coal black, and his fists were clenched so hard, his knuckles were pure white. Josiah seemed unfazed by it all, which led Martha to conclude that the man really was completely crackers.

"Well?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"I will submit," he said, trying to keep calm, "but, I want to be with Rose. At no point, do I want to be separated from her."

Josiah shrugged.

"I had no intention of separating you."

"And…you will leave Martha alone, as well as Donna. I swear to God, if you harm them, if you dissect them, nothing will save you from my wrath!"

Josiah glanced at Martha.

"Buddy, you are making the biggest mistake of your life, doing this."

"Quiet, Martha!" the Doctor said to her.

He turned his attention back to Josiah.

"Well?"

Josiah shrugged.

"Very well, I won't touch them. However, that doesn't mean Donna can't run loose in the castle."

"Then, if she is caught, you will bring her back here, put her in the cage with Martha, and leave her alone!"

"Done."

"And lastly…"

"You've suddenly become very demanding, Time Lord."

"I am subjecting myself to something I don't want to do as well as allowing my companion to be put into peril. So, in return for that, you will cut me some major slack!"

"What do you want, Doctor?"

"I want what I wanted before. I want to be with Rose and I want Martha moved into a cell with me, so she can assist me with Rose's pregnancy, if need be. And…Donna, as well, if she is caught. In short, I want my family all in one place during our incarceration. Now, surely, that's not that big a deal for you considering I am allowing you to impregnate another person against both our wills."

"Very well, you have what you want, now are you finished?"

"Yes."

Josiah held the blaster up while he withdrew the key from his pocket.

"Then, you will come with me and no tricks."

"Wouldn't think of it," the Doctor muttered under his breath.

He unlocked the door and gestured for them to come out. Rose looked over at Martha. They squeezed each other's hands, and she stood with the Doctor and calmly walked out of the cage with him.

"Undress yourselves. After you are done, Rose will lay on the table. I will be able to extract the semen from you standing up, but when I am ready, Rose needs to be on her back."

"Do as he says, Rose," he said.

Rose started to undress, but the Doctor put a hand on her arm.

"Do we get a folding screen, or changing room, or hospital gowns so we can have a bit of dignity."

"No. Now undress."

Rose glanced up at the Doctor and saw that he was trying with all his being to keep calm and not go off on Josiah. He looked at her and nodded. Both he and Rose began to undress while Josiah kept the blaster pointed on them. While they were undressing, Rose glanced over and noticed that Martha had her head turned the other way giving them some amount of privacy. Once they were finished, the Doctor helped Rose lay on the table. She gasped when the cold metal touched her back, and the Doctor shook with rage when he noticed she was shivering uncontrollably. He took his hands and put them over her private parts, trying to shield them as best he could from Josiah. At the same time, Rose kept her head turned away from the Doctor, trying not to see his crotch. Keeping his eyes on them, Josiah inched back towards a drawer and pulled out a syringe gun.

"Remember, the slightest sign of resistance, I kill both your companions," Josiah said, walking towards them.

"Just get it over with!" the Doctor barked.

Josiah walked around behind him. Keeping the blaster against his back, he bent down, put the syringe gun against his balls, and withdrew some of his semen into a test tube that was sticking out of the top. He stood up, walked around them, and kept his blaster at the ready while he laid the test tube on the counter. Grabbing another test tube, he fitted it in the syringe gun, walked back over, positioned it over the spot where her ovaries were and with a muttered, "Relax," pulled the trigger. When the test tube was filled, he took away the syringe gun and turned away.

"You may get dressed now and get back in the cage. That's all I need to do at the moment," he said, without any compassion.

The Doctor's eyes were mere slits, and his face was beet red, as he helped Rose sit up. Rubbing her back, he helped her down off the table and both of them got their clothes back on.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Donna sat just outside Haban's cage, trying to pick the rusted lock with a bobby pin while he told her of the resistance movement. She marveled at his bravery. He had come by himself on a suicide mission to assassinate the Lady Rose and had been caught just inside the castle. Every once in awhile, she would glance around half expecting the guards to come down the stairs and find her, but no one ever did. She wondered if they had searched it already or maybe she figured that she would be a fool to come down to the dungeons to hide. She asked Haban and received confirmation that the guards had searched the dungeons and the cells and had even roughed him up, trying to find out if he knew where she had gone. She apologized for that. Haban shrugged.

"Isn't the first time they've been rough with me since I've been here, don't worry about it," he said, dismissively.

Finally, Donna heard a loud click, and the cell door swung open with a loud squeak. Donna looked around nervously, but no one came to stop them and Haban helped her to stand. She took the torch from the holder beside the cell.

"I thank you, Donna Noble," Haban said, bowing.

"No problem. I have to ask though; do you know where the labs are? My friends are being held captive there. I was in some guy's room last night and overheard him saying he was going to experiment on them."

Haban's eyes darkened.

"That is Josiah, the court scientist. He is reviled among the Valporans for conducting illegal experiments. Many innocent people were kidnapped and murdered when he used them in his insane experiments. He was tried in court, but got off on a technicality because the minister of justice didn't fill out the arrest forms correctly. So, he became an outcast, shunned by the people, until he came here and found refuge with the hated queen. Once he had her protection, he started up his experiments again without fear of persecution."

"Yes, I've seen a few of these…experiments," Donna said, angrily, "and now he's going to hurt my friends, unless we save them, which is why I want to know if you have any idea where the lab is?"

"I am not sure, but you have rescued me and I am indebted to you, I will help you in any way that I can."

Donna smiled.

"Thank you," she said.

"But, we must hurry before the guards return. I was supposed to be executed this morning, but they have not come to get me yet, so we must be swift lest we run into them."

Donna nodded. Holding the torch high, she and Haban ran down the corridor towards the stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor and Rose sat in the cage listening while Josiah bustled around the lab doing whatever he was doing to mix their genetic material together. He kept Rose nearby, rubbing her arm, while Rose tried to relax and wait for the pain from the shot to subside. The Doctor's jaw tightened, as he listened to Josiah whistling to himself. If he didn't know any better, he think he was baking a cake instead of creating a hybrid species. His complete unconcern with what he was doing made the Doctor all the more angrier, and he wanted nothing more than to shove his hand down his throat and rip his voice box out, so he would stop whistling.

But, despite his anger, there was still a part of the Doctor that was curious about what he was doing. He couldn't help but wonder how he mixed the genetic material together. He watched, as Josiah reached into a cupboard and brought out a black metal box. He sat it on the counter and plugged it in while the Doctor scrutinized it. Josiah turned and caught the Doctor's eye. He stopped and grinned at him.

"Curious as to what I'm doing, Time Lord?" he asked.

"A little."

He pointed to the machine.

"What exactly is that?" the Doctor asked.

Josiah beamed, happy to explain his work.

"This is a little invention of mine. It helps modify genetic material, so it can be compatible with other genetic material."

"In other words, it's not going to fertilize, and you're gonna stick it in the box and fix it."

"Precisely. Would you like to assist me?"

The Doctor stared at him in disbelief.

"Make it easier for Rose to get pregnant? Of course I'm not gonna help you!" he said.

The Doctor glanced at Rose and shook his head.

"Honestly, he thinks I'm gonna willingly help him?" he whispered to her.

"Well, the man is nuts, Doctor," Rose whispered back.

"Yeah, but surely he would think after I protested so vehemently against this, that…"

He sighed and shook his head.

"Never mind," he whispered back, "I'm assuming the man has a marble left in his head, which he doesn't. It just amazes me how egotistical some of these villains can be. Hey, Doctor, I'm doing something that might possibly kill your loved one, wanna help out? Sheesh. Idiot."

They watched while he put the majority of the semen and eggs in a round Petri dish, opened the top of the machine and carefully put it in. He closed the lid, pushed a button and there was a whirring while the machine vibrated violently. Rose held the Doctor's hand.

"Is that thing gonna explode?" she asked.

"I don't think so since he's used it before. At least, I hope not."

"The machine is perfectly safe, Doctor," Josiah said, glancing back at him.

He put the rest of Rose's eggs onto a slide. Josiah covered the sample with a small piece of plastic and put it under a high-powered microscope. When he gazed into the microscope, the Doctor waved his hand getting Rose and Martha's attention. He put his fingers to his lips, reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny, metal toy car. Keeping his eyes on Josiah, he wrenched the back wheels off the car and broke one of the tires off the tiny metal axel. He held it up to Martha.

"Lock pick," he mouthed to her.

Martha nodded and took it from him while the Doctor put the car back in his jacket pocket.

"Not yet, though, wait until he's out of the room," the Doctor mouthed, "then get yourself to safety and find Donna and the TARDIS."

"What about you?" Martha mouthed back.

The Doctor glanced at Rose.

"I don't know if he'll let us out of his sight before…"

He gestured to Rose's belly.

"If that happens," he mouthed to her, "we'll deal with the consequences once we get back in the TARDIS. The main thing is to get us all to safety before he does something to us or to the baby."

Martha nodded.

"It's awfully quiet back there," Josiah said, looking around at them.

"We're miming. It's a little game we play to pass the time. We each take turns miming and try to impress the others with our brilliant mimery. It's too bad you were looking at Rose's eggs, you missed my stellar impression of a man walking against the wind."

Josiah narrowed his eyes at them.

"I hope you aren't planning your escape, Doctor. Not after I've capitulated to your demands. I would hate for you to be separated from Rose and Martha because you were stupid enough to think you could leave this lab, unnoticed."

"Now why would I want to leave your lab? It's nice, cozy, and the unicorn/dolphin thing makes a wonderful neighbor. No, we're just amusing ourselves by miming. Aren't we, guys?"

"Yup," Rose and Martha said in unison.

"See?"

Josiah rolled his eyes.

"You know, Doctor, for someone who claims to be more intelligent than other species, you are incredibly dense."

"This coming from the man who thought that combining a horsey with a fishy was a fabulous idea," the Doctor muttered to Rose.

She bit her lip, holding in her laughter.

They heard a buzzer go off and Josiah turned his attention back to the machine. He opened it up, lifted out the Petri dish, put a little on a slide, and stared at it under the microscope. The Doctor looked at Martha.

"Remember what I said, no matter what happens to us, get yourself out of here, and back to the TARDIS with Donna any way you can," he mouthed to her.

Martha nodded.

"Ah," Josiah said, turning around, "Everything is now functional, Doctor. I can now implant them back into Rose's body."

"Happy, happy, joy, joy," the Doctor muttered, "shall we start shopping for the nursery furniture now or wait until we find out what gender it'll be?"

"I'm surprised at you, Doctor," Josiah said, "I thought you would be happy. After all, you are the last of your species, are you not? Don't you want Rose to have your child?"

"Not against her will!" the Doctor shot back, "what you are doing is tantamount to rape. You are forcing Rose to bear a child that neither she nor I want."

"Are you sure you don't want it?" Josiah said, not looking up from the Petri dish, "the woman you love giving birth to your child. Doesn't that thrill you?"

"No, it horrifies me because I'm aware of the risks involved and unlike you; I care what happens to Rose. You are insane if you think I'm pleased with this. You are playing God and forcing something upon us that, if we had wanted it, would have been done in an intimate, loving manner. Instead, we've been humiliated and degraded and made to suffer because you can't leave well enough alone."

"Once again, Doctor, I could argue the same about you, "Josiah said, glancing back, "another example of you passing judgment on others and thinking yourself noble and beyond reproach. You are no better than I am, and you know it."

The Doctor glowered. He knew it was pointless to argue with him. Everything he said would just be twisted around in his own perverted logic and spat back out at him. He was glad there was someone here who gave a damn if Rose lived or died since he certainly didn't. No matter what happened, he would be there for her, getting her through this nightmare with her body and mind intact.

Five minutes later, Josiah leaned back up and smiled at the Doctor.

"All finished," he said, "it's time for Rose to undress so she can be implanted with the fertilized eggs."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

The Doctor's mind was going at full speed while he tried to think of a way to stop him from impregnating Rose. As they stood up, he looked down at Rose and noticed she was looking up at him with complete trust. He knew what she was thinking. She was thinking he would come up with a last minute solution to save her, which was why there wasn't a trace of fear on her face. The fact that once again she had put her total trust in him filled him with guilt and made his mind work even faster. He glanced down at Martha and noticed that she had moved to the front of her cage, the makeshift lock pick hidden in her hands. He stared at it.

_If I can keep Josiah occupied,_ he thought. _Keep him away from Rose and keep his eyes away from the cage while Martha picks the lock and gets Rose to safety._

He looked at Martha again and sensed she was thinking the same thing. Finally, he had some semblance of a plan. Whether or not it would work, he wasn't sure, but at least it would give Rose a chance at escape.

He put his hands on Rose's shoulders, trying to remain calm. Thinking fast, he began to speak to her through their link.

_Rose._

_Yes, Doctor?_

_I'm going to try to stall Josiah while Martha picks the lock. If she gets the door open, go with her. Run! Don't worry about me, I'll catch up. Just go with her, find Donna and the TARDIS and get inside where they can't get you._

_Yes, Doctor._

Rose glanced back at him and unspoken words passed between them. She turned her head when Josiah opened the door and gestured for her to come out. The Doctor started to walk with her, but Josiah held up the blaster.

"No. Only her this time. You are not needed."

"Uh, guess again, because there is no way I'm staying in here while she lies naked and vulnerable on your lab table."

Josiah rolled his eyes.

"I have no sexual interest in her, Doctor. Unlike you, I don't want someone outside my own species," he said.

"I don't care. Part of our deal was I got to be with Rose at all times, and I'm not about to let her be alone during this."

Josiah pointed the blaster at his head.

"Well, as you can see, Time Lord, I have a blaster in my hand and you don't have anything, so if you don't want to regenerate in the next few minutes, you will do as I command."

"No. I go with Rose or she doesn't go at all."

Josiah stepped closer. He looked at Rose.

"Come with me, Rose, or watch your lover die."

"Don't do it, Rose."

"I'm not going anywhere without the Doctor," Rose said firmly.

"Then…the Doctor dies and will keep on dying until he's dead. I have what I need from him, his genetic material, and the bulk of his memories, so he's not essential any more, which means I will kill him if he continues to insist on getting in my way. Now, I'm giving you one last chance, Rose Tyler, come out of that cage without him, or watch as he dies."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Donna stood outside the lab door with Haban listening to Josiah threatening the Doctor's life. Her jaw tightened and her grip on the torch increased. Haban looked at her and could tell from her expression just what she was thinking.

"You aren't going in there?" he whispered.

"Too right, I am. I'm not about to let that maniac kill the Doctor and hurt my friends."

She looked him square in the eyes.

"You can stay here if you like, but I'm going."

"I told you, I am indebted to you, and I'm going to help you free your friends," Haban whispered back, "I want to get back at Josiah anyway."

Donna nodded.

"On the count of three then…"

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Josiah sighed.

"Fine, I've grown tired of this stalling. Say goodbye to your sweetheart, Rose. My patience has run out."

The Doctor stood, unflinchingly, while Josiah started to pull the trigger.

Just then, there was a shrill scream coming from the other side of the door. Josiah jerked his head around when a screeching red-haired woman ran into the room with torch in hand. Josiah leveled the blaster at her and grunted when the Doctor slammed into his body. He grabbed his wrist, trying to make him let go of the blaster.

"Run, Rose! Get away from here!" the Doctor screamed, as he struggled with Josiah.

"GUARDS! HELP ME!" Josiah yelled.

His screams increased when Donna thrust the torch in his face. He dropped the blaster and Rose picked it up while Haban punched him in the face. The Doctor looked at him, confused.

"Who are you?" he said.

"I'm Haban."

"Nice to meet you, Haban, I'm the Doctor," he said, nodding, "thanks for your help. Can you get my companions away from here before we're overwhelmed?"

Haban nodded. He gasped when Josiah punched the Doctor in the face.

"None of you will escape!" he said, "guards!"

Haban fell on him. He and the Doctor tried to restrain him while Rose turned with the blaster. She noticed Martha was frantically working the lock with the axel.

"Get back, Martha!" she said, aiming the blaster.

Martha looked up and scooted back to the wall. Rose took aim and shot a laser bolt at the lock; Martha tried the door and gave a triumphant yell when it swung open.

"Good!" the Doctor said, "now get out of here, all of you!"

Martha leapt out of the cage and started to run to Donna. She paused when she noticed Josiah had managed to wriggle his way out from under the Doctor and Haban. An evil smile spread over Martha's face. Without a word, she ran in between Josiah's outstretched legs and stomped down hard on his crotch.

"That's what it feels like to have your balls messed with!" she screamed, as Josiah let out a howl.

The Doctor and Haban grabbed him under the arms and threw him in Martha's cage. As he hit the bars at the back and fell to the floor of the cage, the sonic screwdriver tumbled out of his lab coat pocket. The Doctor gave a yell and dived for it. Josiah tried to grab it before he did, but the Doctor stopped him with an uppercut to the jaw. Dazed, Josiah slumped in the straw while the Doctor grabbed it, slammed the door, and used it to lock the door.

"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" he screamed at the others.

Everyone turned and sprinted out of the lab, as Josiah lay on the straw and bellowed for the guards.

The Doctor brought up the rear while Haban took the lead, forming some protection for the three women. The Doctor carried his screwdriver, Rose had the blaster, and Donna carried the torch.

They rounded a corner and saw the serpent guard slithering towards them followed by another hybrid. It had a tiger-like head, framed with a huge, brown mane and a muscular bear's body.

"Lion, and tiger, and bear, oh my!" the Doctor screamed, pointing at it.

Rose raised the blaster and shot at it. The hybrid let out an angry roar and lunged for her. The Doctor ran to help her while Haban, Donna, and Martha dealt with the serpent. The bear swatted at Rose with its paws. She grunted when it caught her in the face and she reeled back. The Doctor caught her, preventing her from going to the floor and went past her to the bear. He grunted when the bear grabbed hold of him and held him tightly to his body.

"Ugh, I like bear hugs, but this is a bit much!" the Doctor groaned.

The bear let out a roar and let go when Rose shot a laser bolt at its leg. It let out an enraged roar and lunged at her. The Doctor sidestepped the beast, grabbed its uniform from behind, and slammed it into the wall. He then grabbed the blaster from its holster and hit him hard on the back of the head with the butt of the gun. As the tiger/bear fell to the ground unconscious, both he and Rose turned their attention to the snake. Donna was using the torch on its face while Martha and Haban jumped around, dodging its crushing coils. The Doctor yelled to Haban, threw the blaster to him, and he shot it through the heart. The snake hissed in agony before it flopped down to the ground, dead.

"Right, let's go! We have to find the TARDIS and get out of here!" the Doctor said.

He grabbed Rose's hand and the five of them ran down the corridor. They rounded the corner and froze when they heard angry yells coming from a corridor up ahead. The Doctor looked behind him.

"Other way!" he said to the others.

They turned and ran with him down the corridor. They got halfway down before they heard surprised and angry yells. They looked around and saw three guards were pursuing them, a bat-headed one, an orange lizard, and a warthog-headed one. The Doctor gasped when a laser bolt whizzed past him. Rose spun around, aimed her blaster, and shot the warthog guard in the leg. He tripped and fell, and the other two, who had been following right behind him, tripped and sprawled headfirst onto the floor. She turned back, and the Doctor took her hand while they hurried to catch up with the others.

"Haban!" the Doctor yelled, "do you know where they might have taken my ship?"

"Probably put it in storage!" Haban yelled back.

"You know where the storage rooms are?"

"Yes, we had some spies in here getting a layout of the castle awhile back, so I pretty much know where everything is."

"Then, take us to them. We have to get back to my TARDIS, we'll be safe there!"

"Follow me!"

They rounded a corner and Haban took the lead. The Doctor looked back and noticed the bat and lizard guards were following them. Thinking fast, he aimed the sonic screwdriver at the bat's ears and turned it on. The bat shrieked in pain and fell to his knees. The lizard let out an angry hiss and fired at them. Seeing where he was aiming, the Doctor yelled at Martha to duck, but it was too late. Martha let out a scream when the bolt hit her upper arm. Rose and Haban spun around and each one fired a bolt into the guard's legs. The guard howled. Clutching its injured legs, he slammed into the ground. Meanwhile, the bat guard had shook off the effects of the screwdriver and resumed the chase. The Doctor aimed his screwdriver, but the bat whipped out his blaster and fired at him. The Doctor dodged it and tried the screwdriver again. This time he was successful and once more, the bat was on its knees, howling with pain and frustration.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Donna yelled back.

"No, we can't!" the Doctor agreed.

He looked at Martha who was holding her injured arm.

"Martha? You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me!" she panted.

They reached the end of the corridor, turned the corner, and stopped short. Halfway down the corridor, Lady Rose was standing there, surrounded by seven armed guards. They spun around and saw the bat guard coming up behind them. They looked over at Lady Rose who was giving them a smug smile.

"Going somewhere?" she said, sweetly


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Lady Rose snickered while the guards quickly surrounded the tiny band.

"So, at long last, the Doctor decides to make a break for it, does he?" she said, walking up behind the Judoon-headed guard, "judging from the noise all of you were making, you were doing a good job of escaping…until now."

She looked at a red-faced guard.

"Go and check on Josiah, make sure he's alright," she said.

"Yes, my Lady," the guard said, bowing.

He hurried off while Lady Rose turned her attention back to her captives.

"Disarm them," she said.

She neared closer while the guards grabbed their weapons. Slowly, the Doctor brought his hand underneath his coat and shoved the screwdriver down the back of his trousers, leaving the tip sticking out of the top. He put his hand back down while Rose and Haban surrendered their blasters and Donna handed over the torch.

"Make sure to search the Doctor well, he's the dangerous one," Lady Rose ordered.

She smirked while the guards patted him down and searched his pockets. Turning his attention to Haban, she raised her eyebrow.

"Oh yes, I forgot all about you in the excitement last night," she said, "I believe you are scheduled for execution."

"You won't get away with this," Haban said, "we will stop you!"

"Oh yes, you are really stopping me, aren't you," she said, gesturing to the guards.

She looked over at a bear-headed guard when he finished searching the Doctor.

"Is he unarmed?"

"Yes, my lady, there was only junk in his pockets."

"Oi, I do not have junk in my pockets!" the Doctor said, angrily.

"Silence!" Lady Rose spat out.

She looked at Rose with contempt.

"Now so high and mighty now, are we, little girl?" she sneered.

Rose opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when the Doctor touched her arm. Lady Rose moved over to her while the Judoon guard kept his blaster aimed at her head.

"You know, ever since your childish little outburst, I've been thinking long and hard about you and I've decided that since I have the power of life and death over you, I will have you put to death. We have enough hybrid freaks around here without your child adding to it. So, I'm just going to skip this nonsense and order you and your friends to join Haban on the execution block. How about that? That way, I don't have to look at you or your pathetic little group one second longer than I have to. And…if the goddess does allow you to reincarnate, then perhaps in your next life, you will know better than to insult royalty."

She turned away.

"Well, at least I'm gonna die knowing I have friends who care about me. How about you?" Rose said, "cause I haven't seen anyone in this castle except you, Josiah, and the guards. I have the Doctor. What do you have?"

Everyone stared at her. Rose grinned when she saw Lady Rose's back stiffen and knew she had just hit a nerve. Slowly, Lady Rose turned to face her.

"I have a castle, wealth, and power, and the ability to decide whether my subjects…or random strangers and common lookalikes live or die. Having the Doctor will be of little use to you when you are having your skin torn off your body."

"Oh, I don't know about that. Knowing the Doctor as I do, having him with me will be a bloody big plus, I expect. Because you see, this isn't the first time I've come close to death, and I expect the same is true for Martha and Donna. You haven't seen the Doctor in action like we have. So, if I was you, I wouldn't count him out just yet, because even unarmed, the man can be your worst nightmare."

Rose watched while her double scrutinized the Doctor. She noticed that she was looking right at his boyish face, wire thin body, and knew what she was thinking. She was dismissing him because of his looks. It wouldn't be the first time someone had underestimated him based on that, and it wouldn't be the last. The Doctor always told her that he considered his mind one of his greatest assets, and she had to agree, but his appearance was a close second. Not only did his good looks earn him the trust of total strangers, but also his enemies were less apt to take him seriously, which as they found out to their cost, was a huge mistake.

The Doctor, in the meantime, was scrutinizing Lady Rose as closely as she was scrutinizing him. The fact that Lady Rose had stiffened her body when Rose started questioning her was not lost on him. His mind was working overtime. So far, Lady Rose hadn't been as violent or sadistic as Josiah had been. For the most part, she had been aloof, only occasionally coming into the lab to gloat. Perhaps…there was a way to get through to her? It was worth a try at any rate.

"Take them away!" Lady Rose barked.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait!" the Doctor said, holding up his hands.

Lady Rose rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I have had just about enough of…"

"Just…hear me out," the Doctor said, angrily, "I want a private word with you before you execute us."

Haban and his companions looked at him, but he ignored them. Lady Rose let out another long sigh.

"Why do you want to talk to me, privately?" she said.

"Because there are a few things I need to know, and I want you to know a few things before we are put to death. Now, you can put my friends in a cell, in the meantime, but I want to speak to you alone."

The Judoon-headed guard looked at her.

"My Lady, is that wise?" he said, "what if it's a trick?"

Lady Rose eyed the Doctor warily.

"I give you my word, nothing will happen to her," the Doctor said to the guard, "you can stand right outside, and if I harm her, you can kill my friends. How about that?"

Lady Rose looked at him and looked at the others. She sighed.

"Alright, fine, as long as we get it over with and you get out of my hair. Take everyone away except the Doctor. I'll speak with him in my quarters.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and passed it to Rose. She quickly put it in her pocket and they exchanged a quick glance before she and the others were led away to the dungeons. The Doctor watched them go for a moment and then looked at Lady Rose who was still flanked by the Judoon guard and a yellow bird-like guard.

"Come this way, say what you have to say and make it quick!" she said, angrily.

"Of course," the Doctor said, happily.

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Lady Rose stepped aside and let the Doctor into her private quarters. The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around while Lady Rose cautioned the two guards to remain right by the door. His eyes fell on the broken pieces of a vase lying in the corner.

"You need to get one of those beastie boys in here to sweep this up," he said.

Lady Rose closed the door and looked where he was pointing. She rolled her eyes.

"That was due to a momentary loss of control," she said.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"Really? What happened to cause you to lose control?" he asked, with genuine curiosity.

"Your little girlfriend and her insolent tongue."

An amused smile crept over the Doctor's face.

"Really? What Rose said affected you enough that you had to go and smash a vase?"

"No one talks to me like that! No one!" she snapped at him.

"Excuse me, but how old are you? Because instead of dealing with a grown, mature woman, I've had to put up with a petulant child. You claim to be a high and mighty empress, then act like one instead of acting like a spoiled brat who has just been told to go to her room! You constantly put Rose down, but from what I've seen, she's acted in a far more mature manner than you have."

"Is this all you wanted to say, Doctor, because if it is, you can save your breath!"

"No, I wanted to come in here because I want to talk to you about what Rose said to you earlier. I noticed when she told you that she has me; you became uncomfortable and got defensive. I realize I haven't seen the whole of the castle, but it appears that the only people in this place are you, Josiah and the guards. So, I want to know, do you have any family or friends who do love and care about you?"

Lady Rose glowered at him.

"Why is it any concern of yours?" she said.

"Because I try as much as possible to look for the good in everyone, and to be honest, you really haven't done much to me or my friends. It's the loon in the lab that has been threatening our lives. So, please satisfy my curiosity, I want to know about you since you and Josiah know a ton about me. Tit for tat, quid pro quo, and all that. So, tell me, do you have any family?"

Lady Rose fell silent. The Doctor waited patiently for her to speak. She glanced up at him and noticed he was staring at her with a kind look on his face. As she gazed into his warm, brown eyes, she suddenly felt herself opening up and speaking to him. The words spilled from her mouth while she told him all about her captivity on Zazaria and the murder of her family. As she talked, she looked at the Doctor and noticed he was staring at her sadly, and she felt the urge to go on. She talked about murdering her uncle and seizing control of the throne. Then, how she had murdered everyone else close to her to prevent them harming her. The Doctor didn't utter a word, just stood quietly taking it all in and nodding from time to time. Occasionally, Lady Rose would look his way expecting to see a judgmental look on his face, but to her great surprise, there was only compassion in his eyes and a softness that Lady Rose hadn't seen on anyone's face in years. At length, she finished and stood there, waiting for the high and mighty Time Lord to pass judgment on her, just as her subjects had done.

"It must have been hell being held in bondage for so long," he finally said.

Lady Rose mentally scanned his remark searching for any sarcasm. She was surprised to find there was none. Still, she kept a wary eye on him while she nodded.

"Yes, it was," she said.

"I'm sorry that happened to you."

Lady Rose snorted.

"Why are you sorry?"

The Doctor sighed.

"Because I don't like the idea of anyone being taken away from their family and enslaved, particularly a young child. To watch your family being slaughtered in front of your eyes at that young an age is horrendous. It was an unconscionable act and even though I don't condone your actions after you escaped Zazaria, I can understand why you did what you did and…I can understand why you act the way you do now."

"Oh really, and why do I act the way I do?"

"Because you're afraid," the Doctor said, gently, "you have been mistreated and abused, and you're afraid to let anyone get too close to you, including your subjects. It has been said, that uneasy is the head that wears the crown, and I think that saying fits you to a tee. You are determined to get everyone before they can get you. Not to mention, you have a completely hands-off approach to your rule, which is why you aren't very popular with your subjects, and Haban is in here trying to assassinate you. Now, I can't really figure where Josiah fits into all of this, unless you recognized him as a fellow social outcast and gave him refuge, so he wouldn't be persecuted the same way you were. The only problem with that is Josiah is completely certifiable, and you've let him run rampant, doing his horrifying experiments, which in turn is making the people hate you more. My friends and I are completely innocent in all of this. None of us have ever done anything to you and yet, you just sit back and let Josiah humiliate us and play God. Why? Why let him do that? You aren't evil, I can see that now. You're just an abused and hurt little girl who is trying to act the part of a grown up ruler. Are you afraid of confronting Josiah, is that it? Are you afraid that because you gave the man too much power, he might turn on you and experiment on you if you try to stop him? Because if that's the case, my friends and I can take care of that with no trouble. Or…are you afraid if you turn him out, you'll be left alone in a big, empty castle with only mutants for company. Because in a weird, twisted way, Josiah is your family now."

He neared closer to her.

"You can't let this go on, your highness," he said, softly, "you can't let that monster conduct more unethical experiments and make more mutant creatures. He has to be stopped now. And, you have to let me and my friends go, all of us, including Haban. We are innocent. Our lives are being destroyed because you won't stand up for what's right. You may have wealth, and power, and this castle, but at the end of the day, none of that will give you true comfort. None of it will give you what you really need. And, what you really need is someone to hold you, and kiss you, and give you the love you truly deserve. You mock my Rose and think her weak, but it takes courage to give your heart to someone and open up to them and love them. I would rather do that, run the risk of getting my hearts broken than build a literal and figurative fortress around myself, spending the rest of my life being angry and bitter while everyone around me hates my guts. Which is exactly what has happened to you. Now, come on, you surely don't like what has become of your kingdom. Think of your legacy. How you want your people to remember you after you die. Do you want to be remembered as a benevolent ruler who brought about a golden age of peace and prosperity and was loved by all her subjects? Or, do you want to be known as the mad woman who sat inside her ivory tower while her insane scientist picked her people off one by one and turned them into lab rats. You can't change the past, but you can change the future, your highness. It's not too late to make amends for your mistakes and turn things around. Your people deserve better than this. They need someone on the throne who is approachable and sympathetic to their needs. You can be that, if you'll just have the courage to change. So, how about it?"

Lady Rose was stunned into silence. Never had anyone spoken to her this way, but rather than be upset by it, she was comforted. The Doctor made so much sense. It was as if he knew how she felt, could empathize with what she had been through. She began to see why Rose loved him so, and why others were willing to die with him. The man was a true leader, the kind that she had always aspired to be. Guilt overwhelmed her mind. All the things she had let Josiah do in her name, all the lives she had disrupted, all the creatures that were made that should never have been made in the first place. She suddenly felt like crawling into a hole and never coming out. She looked up at the Doctor who was staring at her quietly with no hint of judgment or condemnation on his face.

"Is it possible to change? Is it too late for me?" she said, in a small, scared voice.

The Doctor reached out and put his hand on his shoulder.

"It's never too late, trust me," he said, "you can reverse all of this, starting with letting me and my friends go."

Lady Rose nodded. The Doctor beamed at that.

"Thank you," he said.

"I'll tell the guards to go fetch them," Lady Rose said, walking past him.

Just then, the door flew open and Josiah stood in the doorway. His eyes went to the Doctor, and his face instantly turned red.

"You!" he snarled, as he advanced on the Doctor.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Josiah was furious. After being let out of the cage, he took the guards that had freed him and went to find some more. He found a couple of them heading back from the dungeons and he was relieved when he heard that Haban, Rose and the others had been put in a cell. His relief was short lived though when he learned that the Doctor was alone in the room with Lady Rose, and he quickly sprinted off towards her quarters, guards in tow. And now, here he was, standing right in front of Lady Rose, probably getting ready to become the Oncoming Storm and kill her. Well, he wasn't about to let that happen.

"Stand back, my Lady, the guards, and I will handle the Time Lord," he said.

"No. You will not hurt him."

Josiah froze, hardly daring to believe his ears.

"I'm sorry, my Lady, I don't think I heard you right."

"I said, you will not hurt the Doctor."

Josiah looked at him and noticed the smug look on his face. He looked back at Lady Rose, his anger rising within him.

"What is the meaning of this? You mean to tell me you're actually siding with him?"

"Yes."

Josiah's mouth dropped open.

"Why?"

"Because the Doctor spoke to me and what he said made sense."

Josiah jerked his head towards the Doctor and narrowed his eyes.

"What did you say to her? What lies did you fill her head with?"

"I didn't fill her head with lies. That's your department," the Doctor replied, shrugging, "I told her that what she was allowing you to do was wrong and presented my argument in a calm and logical manner, and she realized the truth of my words, that's all."

Josiah looked at Lady Rose.

"My Lady, I have been loyal to you," he said, slowly coming towards her, "I have been your most faithful servant. Everything I did, I did for the good of the kingdom."

"You have done nothing for the good of my kingdom," Lady Rose replied, coolly, "everything you have done has been for your own benefit."

She pointed to the hybrid guards clustered around the door.

"Those things shouldn't exist, but because I was unwilling to put my foot down and tell you to stop, those monstrosities are standing there, making a mockery of everything the goddess created. You are a twisted, evil individual, Josiah. It is you who should be executed, not the Doctor and his friends."

Josiah whipped out his blaster and pointed it at her.

"So, it's finally come to this," he said, "very well, if I have to kill you and take your kingdom by force to keep my experiments going, then I will do so!"

"Well, well, it seems Lady Rose wasn't entirely wrong when she imagined that her own people were plotting to steal her throne," the Doctor said, "you've been planning this all along, haven't you?"

"She is not fit to rule. She is young, and naïve, and lacks vision," Josiah said, "I only pretended to be her servant, so I could conduct my hybrid experiments in peace and slowly build up an army of mutant soldiers. The ultimate soldiers who would possess enhanced abilities far greater than their individual parents did. Then, when I had enough, I would kill this child and rule Valpora for myself. With my army of hybrids, I would be unstoppable."

"The Doctor is right. You are completely insane," Lady Rose said, "I won't let you get away with this."

Josiah laughed.

"You have no choice, my Lady. I control all the guards in this castle, you are completely cut off, and none of your subjects gives a damn if you live or die. All you have to protect you is one pathetic, lovesick Time Lord and he will be dispatched just as quickly as you will be. Then, once you are dead, I move on to his friends in the dungeon and then finally I will be free of you."

"Very interesting, Josiah," Lady Rose said, "however, you are forgetting one thing."

"And what is that, my _Lady_?" Josiah said, saying the last word in a snotty tone of voice.

She smiled.

"I don't have anyone who cares if I live or die, so I have nothing to lose if you kill me."

Without warning, she suddenly ran straight into Josiah. The Doctor yelled when he shot her hitting her in the side. Letting out an enraged yell, she leapt at the insane scientist and grabbed at the blaster. Josiah laughed insanely as the guards ran to grab her and the Doctor.

"It's too late, Doctor, you're going to die and then your beloved Rose and your friends will follow soon after. The kingdom is mine!"

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a blaster being fired. Everyone froze, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then Josiah let out a groan and his head lolled back. Lady Rose rolled off him with the blaster and the Doctor could see that he had been shot through the chest. Thinking fast, he grabbed the blaster and aimed it at the advancing guards.

"Stay back!" he barked at them.

The guards hesitated and then backed up to the door. The Doctor looked down at Josiah who was near death. He got between him and Lady Rose, staring down at him silently.

Josiah struggled to breathe while he turned his eyes towards the Doctor. The Doctor stood there staring at him, impassively.

"Well, aren't you gonna do something?" Josiah rasped out.

"Nothing I can do," the Doctor said, shrugging.

"Is that true…or are you refusing to help me?"

"Why should I help you after all you've done?"

Josiah coughed.

"Because you are supposed to be the all-compassionate Time Lord."

"My compassion has limits. You know that as well I do. You brought this on yourself and now it's time to pay the consequences."

"And now we finally see your true self, Doctor."

"I never said I was all-merciful, and like I said, you saw yourself what happens when people cross me and the ones I love. Perhaps if you saw the error of your ways like Lady Rose here, then I might consider helping you, but I'm not going to make you better so you can return to your evil ways. Curse me all you like, I've been cursed over and over through the centuries. I've learned to live with the consequences of my decisions and now you must face yours."

A gurgling sound escaped from Josiah's throat and a thin line of blood fell out of his mouth as he expired. The Doctor turned his attention to Lady Rose who was looking up at him, quietly. He stooped down to pick her up.

"Why are you helping me?" she said, in a weak voice.

"Because, unlike him, you decided to change your ways, and I'm going to cure you so you can become the ruler you were meant to be."

He cradled her in his arms and glared at the hybrids that were standing by the doorway, hesitant looks on their faces.

"Get out of my way unless you want to follow your master into the hereafter," he snarled at them.

The hybrids took one look at his enraged face and quickly backed up.

"Your highness, stay with me, you're gonna have to tell me where the TARDIS is, so I can get you to the med bay."

"I don't know if I can," she murmured.

"Yes, you can. I already lost Rose once in this lifetime, I'm not about to lose another. Now tell me where to go."

Lady Rose swallowed hard and gathered her strength.

"Go down this corridor and turn left," she said.

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Rose, Martha, Donna, and Haban looked over at the front door of the TARDIS when it opened. They were standing around the console talking, but all of them quickly ran around and took up defensive positions. They relaxed when the Doctor entered the room carrying Lady Rose.

"Oh good, you made your way back. Saves me the trouble of searching for you."

They stared at the barely conscious woman in his arms.

"What's she doing here?" Martha said, pointing to her.

"She…has turned over a new leaf. She was injured by Josiah, so I'm going to fix her up so she can have a second chance at ruling Valpora the right way."

"And…Josiah?" Rose asked.

The Doctor smiled.

"He's dead. He's no longer a threat to us," he said, "now if you'll excuse me, I need to get Lady Rose back to med bay and get her stabilized before she dies."

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Finally, after about forty five minutes, the Doctor got Lady Rose stabilized enough that he could leave her alone and let her rest. Rose had come in earlier and has assisted him any way that she could. Meanwhile, Martha and Donna had looked after Haban, got him something to eat and drink and let him rest after his ordeal.

The Doctor lowered the head of the bed the Lady Rose was lying on and then he covered her with a blanket.

"I gave her a sedative. She should sleep while the nanobots work to heal the wound and any damaged organs and tissues," he said to Rose, "while that his happening, I want you to go back up to the lab. I want to destroy what Josiah took from us along with any other genetic material we find."

"What about the hybrids?"

The Doctor sighed.

"I'm not sure. I don't want to kill them. it's not their fault they are the way they are. I'm hoping the guards can switch allegiances and serve your double after she recovers. As for the others…"

He ran his hand through his hair.

"I may have to euthanize some of them as an act of mercy," he said, sadly.

Rose took his arm.

"Like that Phillipicorn thing?"

The Doctor nodded.

"I don't see how that thing can have a proper existence. It can't live in water and it can't really live out of water. I have a syringe gun and a solution that will give them a quick, painless death. It's the least I can do for them before we go."

Rose nodded. She could see the pain in the Doctor's eyes while he said that, and she knew that it was killing him inside to have to kill some of the innocent hybrids, but she knew that by doing it, he was releasing the poor creatures from their hellish existence. The Doctor walked over to a metal cabinet, opened it, and grabbed a syringe gun and several vials of a purple solution.

"Will you help me?" he asked Rose.

"Of course," she said, without hesitation.

The Doctor smiled and walked to her. Rose took the syringe gun and some of the vials and the two of them walked out of the room, leaving Lady Rose alone.

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Rose didn't know it then, but going with the Doctor to euthanize some of the hybrids was one of the hardest tasks she had ever assisted on. Each animal that the Doctor judged not able to live normally was first given an injection and then both of them sat by the poor creature, the Doctor murmuring soft words to it, while it slipped away into the afterlife. With each death, the pain in the Doctor's eyes increased, and she was glad that she had volunteered to come along to give him some support while he did what he had to do. Thankfully, the hybrid guards didn't disturb them. Rose wondered about that, but the Doctor surmised that because their master was dead and Lady Rose was incapacitated, they didn't have anyone around to give them orders. Rose was glad of that. She'd had her fill of dealing with them.

After searching the whole castle and making sure all genetic material was incinerated, the Doctor and Rose returned to the TARDIS. The other three were waiting in the console room.

"I've taken care of the hybrids that wouldn't be able to live properly, and I've destroyed our genetic material along with anything else I could find," the Doctor informed them. "As for the others, I'm not quite sure what to do with them. I don't know if we should turn them out into the wild. Here or anywhere. If I did, it would have to be a completely barren planet, so they wouldn't disrupt an ecosystem that was already in place. Damn that Josiah and his meddling.

"If it wasn't for the queen, he wouldn't have been allowed to do that in the first place," Haban spat out.

The Doctor sighed.

"Yes, that's true. But, I believe she has seen the error of her ways and wants to make up for what's she's done. I would love it if you and your people gave her another chance. Perhaps, you can even take her under your wing as an advisor and help her so nothing like this will every happen again."

Haban nodded.

"I would be honored to have that position if the Lady will have me. My people have suffered for too long under her rule, it would be nice to have some peace at last."

"And I think she will help achieve that peace if you will forgive and give her the benefit of the doubt," the Doctor said, "I have talked to her, and I'm confident I've gotten through to her. I don't think you will ever have a problem with her again."

He smiled.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to see how my patient is doing, just make yourselves at home, and try not to blow up my ship, if at all possible."

He giggled when his three girls shot him a look and walked out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

To his delight, the Lady Rose had been healed by the time he had returned to the med bay. She was sitting up and looking around at the room in awe, but she hadn't touched anything. The Doctor helped her to stand and led her back to the console room where the others were waiting.

Lady Rose looked at the others hesitantly; she looked up at the Doctor and saw him giving her an encouraging look. She looked back at Haban who bowed deeply.

"I am glad you are well, highness," he said.

Lady Rose was taken aback at his polite demeanor.

"Thank you," she said, softly.

Haban glanced at the Doctor who gave him a nod and a proud smile.

"Well, highness, I was talking to Haban, and I think it would be a good idea to keep him on as your advisor," the Doctor said, "he can be your emissary and help to soothe tensions between you and your subjects, plus he can help you figure out how best to rule over the country."

Lady Rose smiled at him.

"I would be honored to have him as an advisor if he wants the job," she said.

"I would be honored, my queen," Haban said, bowing.

The Doctor beamed.

"Great! Haban and you can figure out what to do with the hybrid guards. Hopefully, they will continue to serve you."

He paused a moment.

"As for the ones who can't be guards…"

"I will care for them, Doctor. I will keep them as pets and see that they are provided for. That way they can have a good life without endangering someone's habitat. There is a courtyard beside the castle where they can be allowed to roam without mixing with the general population."

The Doctor smiled and nodded.

"Well, if everything is sorted out, I think I and my companions will go now. I have to take Rose back to Jackie, so she can explain to her that I'm back and get an earful in return."

He winked at her.

"Wait, Doctor, I want to do something for you, and your friends first," Lady Rose said, "please follow me to my throne room."

The Doctor looked at his companions They and Haban followed the queen while she led them to the throne room.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

The Doctor, his three companions, and Haban stood in the throne room wondering what was going to happen. After leading them in here, the Lady Rose excused herself and left through a door behind her throne. They stood there waiting for her to return.

Finally, after several minutes, the door opened and Lady Rose returned carrying four large golden coins in her hands. She walked over to the Doctor.

"These medallions mark you as heroes of the kingdom. Wear them whenever you return, and you shall be treated with the utmost respect wherever you go."

The Doctor beamed. He bent his head over while Lady Rose held up one of them. It was attached to a thin, golden chain and she slipped it over his head. She did the same for Rose, Martha, and Donna and when it was done, stepped back.

"I hope you will return sometime to see us again," she said.

The Doctor glanced at his companions.

"Well, I'm not sure if we will be able to or not, to tell you the truth, but if you don't mind, we need to take my Rose home for the moment and then come back here to use the tractor beam, so we can get back to my universe. I hope that won't be too much trouble."

"You may do anything you want, Doctor, you have earned that privilege," Lady Rose replied, "you can come and go as you please."

"Thank you. I have a feeling Rose wants to go back with me to the other universe, but she'll have to tell her mother about her decision before we go. And since the tractor beam is our only means of getting back to the other universe..."

"Take all the time that you need, Doctor," Lady Rose replied.

"Again, thank you," the Doctor said, bowing his head.

He turned to his companions.

"So guys, wanna go meet Rose's mum? It's an experience you can't afford to miss."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The TARDIS landed several feet away from the Tyler mansion. The door opened, and the Doctor stepped outside. It was early evening, just after the sun had gone down, and the mansion's windows were illuminated, as was the front porch. He let out a low whistle

"Posh," he said, "you really did well for yourself, miss Tyler."

"Yeah, well, I don't care about living in the mansion as much as mum does," she replied.

"Why am I not surprised by that?" the Doctor muttered.

They followed Rose up to the front door. They heard her mutter a curse under her breath.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked.

"She pointed to the driveway. A red Mustang was sitting there.

"Frank is here," she said, "my mum didn't get the message."

"Ooo," the Doctor said, looking at Martha and Donna, "we get to meet her sweetie pie too."

"Button it, Doctor," Rose said, when he giggled.

They walked to the front door. Rose hesitated a moment and then slowly opened it.

"Mum?" she called, peeking her head inside.

The Doctor flinched and gritted his teeth when he heard Jackie screech, "Where have you been, young lady?"

"Yup, that's her mum," he said to Martha and Donna, "I call her the bleach blonde harpy. As you can probably tell, she has the kind of voice that brings to mind the sound of rusty nails on blackboards."

He grinned at Donna.

"Come to think of it, you two might get on rather well," he said, winking.

Donna flipped him off.

Rose gasped when the door was flung open to reveal a very pissed off Jackie Tyler.

"Young lady, do you know what time it is? Frank has been waiting here for over an hour! I…"

She trailed off when she spied the Doctor.

"Oh…hell…no…"

"Hey, mum! Long time, no see!" the Doctor said, waving enthusiastically.

His eyes widened when Jackie grabbed Rose, pulled her inside, and slammed the door.

"Should we go play a round of night croquet while we're waiting for you to get done shouting at Rose?" the Doctor yelled through the door.

The door opened back up.

"Come in, guys," Rose said, beckoning to them, "mum and I have to sort this out. Just…make yourself comfortable in the living room."

The three of them looked at one another.

"Rose, you know, we can go wait in the TARDIS," the Doctor said.

Rose held up her hand.

"No, you are my guests, and I want you in here. Come in."

They walked inside. The Doctor could see Jackie standing at the end of the hallway, glaring at him. Rose sighed and pointed to a room beside her.

"Just go in here and I'll be right back," she said.

"Rose, if you want me to come with you and help back you up…" the Doctor said.

"No, I'm fine, Doctor. Trust me; I can hold my own with my mum. Just make yourselves at home."

The Doctor looked back at Martha and Donna, and the three of them walked into the living room. They paused and looked at the young man sitting in a chair on the far side of the room. The Doctor tilted his head to one side and gave him an appraising look. He took in the tousled brown hair, sideburns, and boyish face and held back his laughter.

"I assume you are Frank. I'm the Doctor," he said.

"That's right, nice to meet you," he said, crossing the room to shake the Doctor's hand.

"And, you," the Doctor said returning the handshake.

He glanced behind him.

"These are my friends, Martha Jones and Donna Noble."

"Hi," Martha said.

Donna nodded and smiled a hello.

There was a long, uneasy pause.

"So…" Frank said, "you friends of Rose?"

"Yes, we are," the Doctor replied.

"Great. She's a great girl."

"That she is."

Another long pause.

"Um…would you guys like some tea while Rose is talking to her mum? She just put on a fresh pot."

"That would be fine, thanks," the Doctor said.

"I'll be right back then."

The Doctor nodded. The three of them watched while he walked past them and went out the door. The Doctor felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Yeeees?"

"Um…Doctor, I don't know if you noticed, but the guy looks a lot like you," Martha said.

The Doctor spun around and feigned shock.

"No! You're talking crazy, Martha Jones, that man looks nothing like me. For one thing, my hair is much longer than his is, and I have fewer freckles. You need to get your vision checked."

He snickered when Martha rolled her eyes.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did notice the man looks a whole lot like me. And he's Rose's boyfriend? Interesting. I wonder if this universe has a Freud. I bet he'd love to analyze this whole situation and give us his two pence. Then again, he'd probably just chalk it all up to Rose having some kind of weird penis fixation, snort a couple of lines of cocaine, and leave us with a huge bill. Ah well, let's sit down and see how this whole thing plays out, eh?"

They moved over to the couch. The Doctor plopped down onto it with Donna while Martha sat in a chair next to them. Donna listened for a moment.

"I don't hear anything," she said.

"I expect they took it upstairs," the Doctor replied, "probably in a bedroom with the doors closed or something. I just hope we don't have to go in there and rescue her. Josiah was bad enough for one night without having to confront Mama Tyler."

They looked over when Frank entered the room carrying a tray filled with three cups of tea, three spoons, a small carton of milk, and some sugar packets.

"Thanks," the Doctor replied when he laid it down on the coffee table in front of them.

"No problem."

He walked back over to his chair and settled into it while they fixed their teas. He noticed the medallions hanging around their necks.

"Nice bling," he said, pointing to them.

The Doctor looked down. He had forgotten they were still wearing them.

"Yeah, we actually went out earlier tonight on a little shopping spree and saw them in a jewelry store window and just had to have them. Actually, I think the gold of my medallion brings out the chocolate brown in my eyes, don't you think?"

Martha looked at Donna when Frank gave him an odd look.

"Um, yeah," Frank said, hesitantly.

"So," the Doctor said, changing the subject, "you and Rose…sweethearts?"

"Um, yeah, we are," Frank replied.

"So, where did you two meet then?" the Doctor asked.

Frank smiled.

"On the bus, actually," he said, "I was coming home from work and she got on. The bus was crowded, so she ended up sitting next to me, and we started talking and soon she was asking me for my phone number."

"So...she was interested in you, then?"

"Yes, she was very interested in me."

The Doctor nodded, a wide, knowing smile on his face.

"And, how long ago was that, if you don't mind my asking?" he continued.

"Um, it'll be eight months this Sunday."

"Oh, eight months. Well, congratulations, then."

"Thanks."

Frank studied them closely.

"So…how does Rose know you? I've never seen you here before," he said.

The Doctor looked at his two companions.

"Well, we…have been traveling. Rose actually used to travel with us and…took a break to pursue other things…and now actually…I think she wants to travel with us again."

Frank frowned.

"Are you with Torchwood?"

The Doctor's eyes darkened for a second.

"No," he said, in a low voice, "I'm not affiliated with them."

"Are you part of the reason she had to go on assignment?"

"Uh….yeeeeeeeeeah…"

"But, I thought she was going to be gone for a few days."

"Weeeeeeeeeell, everything got sorted out quicker than she thought."

"Is that why she didn't call her mum? I mean, I wasn't going to come tonight because I assumed she had told her mother she had to go out of town, and the next thing I know, Jackie is ringing me up, wondering where I am. Then, when I told her that Rose told me she was going out of town, she flew into a rage. I mean, I don't know if you've ever seen her mother angry…"

Donna and Martha snickered when the Doctor nodded, wide-eyed.

"Well, we didn't know what to do. We tried calling her mobile repeatedly, but there was no response. And then, while we're sitting here, she comes up to the door out of the blue, and well, I guess they're upstairs going at it now."

He leaned forward.

"So, what was going on? Why wouldn't Rose answer her mobile?"

The Doctor paused, hesitant about what to say. He figured that Rose would want to deal with Frank on her own and without knowing what she was going to say to him, he was unsure of how to handle the situation.

As it turned out, Rose saved him by coming in the living room door. A look passed between them. He could see her red eyes and tear stains on her cheeks, and he gave her a concerned look.

"Everything alright?" he said.

Rose nodded.

"Rose, are you alright?" Frank said, "what's going on?"

Rose looked over at him and sighed.

"Frank, um….we have to talk…alone," she said.

Frank frowned.

"Is everything alright, sweetheart?"

Rose nodded.

"I…just really need to talk to you alone. So, if you could come with me out on the patio for a moment."

Frank nodded. Wondering what was going on, he slowly rose and walked to the doorway. Rose watched him for a moment and then leaned down to the Doctor.

"Mum is still upstairs, but be prepared for her to come down," she whispered to him, "I told her I was leaving with ya, and I think she's finally accepted it, but she's not happy about it, so just a friendly heads-up."

The Doctor nodded. Rose paused for a moment and then whispered in his ear.

"Oh, and dad took my little sister, Billie, out to the cinema. So, if they walk in the door, don't be surprised."

"Gotcha."

Rose squeezed his shoulder. Sighing, she straightened up, turned, and followed Frank out the living room door.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Frank opened the patio door. He and Rose stepped through it out into the calm night sky. Rose closed the door and took Frank's hand.

"Rose, what's this about?" he said, "your friend just told me you're leaving again. Where are you going? Is it something you have to do for Torchwood?"

Rose sighed. She sat down in a wooden deck chair and motioned for him to do the same. When he sat down beside her, she took his hands in hers.

"Frank, first off, I just want to say that the past eight months have been fantastic, and I'm so glad I met you."

Frank looked into her eyes.

"I sense a, "but" coming," he said.

Rose nodded. She sighed and collected her thoughts. Frank was such a sweet guy, and she wanted to break this to him gently.

"Frank, you met the Doctor, didn't you?"

Frank nodded.

"Well, he and I…we're more than just friends."

She paused and looked at him.

"You wanna get back with him, is that what this is about?"

Rose turned her eyes to the ground and nodded.

"It's just that…he and I have known each other for three years now, and we both love one another, but…there was this…accident, and we ended up getting separated from each other. Over the past year, I've been living without him. I…never meant to fall in love again. But, I met you, and you were so kind and loving, and…you reminded me of him."

She sighed deeply.

"I…I was lonely and heartbroken, and I never thought I'd see him again, and…before we were separated, he told me he wanted me to go on living my life in honor of him. So I did, but…"

"You got me on the rebound," Frank said, sadly.

Rose gripped his hands.

"Frank, I do love you. I care for you. But…it's more like loving a very dear friend. I've done a disservice to you, Frank. I should have told you upfront about the Doctor, but I really didn't think he was going to come back. Frank, you are such a sweet guy. You deserve someone who will love you with their whole heart and soul. Please understand. I'm not doing this to be cruel. I'm doing this because I love you, and I know there is someone out there for you. The perfect woman. But in order to find her, I have to set you free.

Tears ran down Rose's face.

"I'm sorry, Frank. I'm so sorry."

Frank squeezed her hands.

"Rose, I want you to be happy. I care for you deeply and if the Doctor is the one that you love, and he loves you in return, then you belong with him. Is he a good man? Does he treat you well?"

"Yes, he's a good man, and he treats me like a million pounds."

"Well, when I was speaking to him, he seemed like a nice guy and that's all that matters to me. I just want someone who will treat you like the queen you are."

Rose threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Will I ever see you again, Rose?" Frank said, when they pulled away.

"I…don't know. I don't think so. Where he's taking me, it's very far away."

"Farther than mobiles?"

Rose nodded.

"It's hard to explain, but we're going very far away, and I won't be able to contact you in any way."

"Is it something to do with Torchwood? Although…the Doctor said he wasn't affiliated with them."

"No, he's not. It's nothing to do with Torchwood. Um…his job is kinda like Torchwood's though. He goes to different planets and helps people. That what I did with him before the accident. That's why Torchwood was a perfect fit for me. But…that's basically what we're going to be doing, travel around, and help others."

"Then, I wish you the best of luck, Rose. I hope you stay safe."

"Oh, trust me; if anyone can protect me, it's the Doctor."

Frank smiled.

"Good."

They gave each other one more huge hug.

"I do love you, Rose."

"I love you too."

She pulled away and smiled at him.

"Actually, there is something you can do for me."

"Yeah?"

"My mum doesn't want to go with us. She has a life here now. If you can keep an eye on her, and dad, and Billie for me, that would be great."

He smiled.

"I would be honored."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

She looked over at the patio door.

"We better get back in there now before mum does something to the Doctor."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rose winced when she neared the living room.

"I swear to God, Doctor. If anything happens to Rose, I will tear a hole in the void, cross over, find you, and rip you apart with my bare hands!"

Rose hurried into the room. She giggled when she saw the Doctor. There it was, the abject fear on his face while he nodded meekly. She could see Martha and Donna looking at each other, unable to believe that this woman intimidated the Doctor. Rose was sure the Doctor would go down on his knees and thank all the deities he could think of, the moment they were over the void.

She walked over to the Doctor's side and put a hand on his shoulder. Jackie looked at her.

"Honey, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, mum, I want to do this."

Jackie sighed.

"Well, I can't stop you from going. I just hope you know what you're giving up when you're going with this man."

"I'm not giving up anything. On the contrary, I'm gaining far more from being with him than staying here."

Jackie stared at the defiant look on her face.

"I s'pose I should be happy. After all, I've wanted far more for you than what I had, and you are thinking outside the box and going after something much bigger than a domestic life. It's just that…ooooh, I just hate when you go off with him and risk your life like this."

"I was risking my life working for Torchwood, so what's the difference?" Rose said, shrugging, "life is full of risks, mum. I could be walking to my car and get hit by a drunk driver, or get mugged, or someone could break in here and murder us all. I know you want me to be safe, but if there's one thing I've learned from the Doctor, it's that safe is boring. It's better to get out there, face danger and see the whole universe than sit at a desk filing paperwork. The Doctor taught me that."

"Wow, you mean one of my teachings actually got through the IPod ear buds and made it into your brain? Maybe there's hope for you yet, Rose."

Rose eyed him.

"Another thing that the Doctor has taught me is patience. In that, I have to be patient and resist the urge to hit him when he makes his snarky little remarks."

Martha and Donna chortled when the Doctor let out an exasperated sigh. He looked back at his other two companions.

"I can already tell I'm gonna be outnumbered now," he muttered.

The three women looked at each other and grinned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor rolled his eyes, as he followed his companions into the TARDIS. They waited long enough for Pete and Billie to come home, so Rose could explain what was happening and tell them goodbye. In the meantime, she had rung up Mickey and Pete and said goodbye to them too. Everyone seemed to say the same thing about him.

That man had better look after you and keep you safe!

The Doctor slammed the door. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the ceiling and screamed.

"YES, EVERYONE, I WILL TAKE CARE OF ROSE. I WILL NOT LET HER COME TO ANY HARM, SO HELP ME GOD! NOW PLEASE GET OFF MY BACK ABOUT IT!"

He looked over at his companions who were standing by the console with stunned expressions on their faces.

"Um…what was that about?" Rose asked.

"Just doing a teensy bit of venting," the Doctor said, cheerfully, "now that I got that out of my system, it's on to Valpora, and then home sweet universe!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Two weeks later. Venice, Italy, 1579…)

The Doctor sighed and drummed his fingers on the table. Across from him, his three companions were giggling insanely. He had brought them here for a nice dinner and a moonlit gondola ride. He had picked one of the best restaurants in the city and had expected the three women to behave like proper young ladies.

Of course, that had been wishful thinking on his part…

Ever since they had gotten back across the void, the three women had bonded and were getting along like a house on fire. Unfortunately, Rose's penchant for pranks had rubbed off on the other two and now the three of them were whispering to one another and sniggering.

"I think we should ask them to bring us a pizza," Martha said, conspiratorially. "I don't think they even have pizzas at this point in time, yeah?"

"Nah, forget pizzas," Donna said to her, "ask for something really far out, like sushi or poi or fried rice."

"Or," Rose added, "we could ask them to bring us mozzarella sticks as an appetizer."

"Ooo, good one," Martha said, nodding.

"How about you order something that actually exists in this time period that they actually know how to cook?" the Doctor said to them.

He sighed when they completely ignored him and went on planning.

"How about we ask them for unlimited salad and breadsticks?" Donna asked.

"I'm for that!" Rose replied.

"Yeah, we order unlimited salad and breadsticks, and some mozzarella sticks, and chicken wings, and a platter of bacon butties, and three Cokes with extra ice and see if they will get it for us," Martha said.

"How about if all of you keep your gobs shut and I order for you?"

Rose looked at him.

"Oh, and we better ask for a huge cloth napkin for the Doctor, so he doesn't dribble spaghetti sauce down his nice white shirt when he eats."

"Excuse me, Tyler; I am not going to dribble anything down my shirt!"

"Really, because with your gob going at full speed, like it usually does, I figure some of the food will fall back out before it gets down your throat."

They laughed when the Doctor's head fell onto the table and he banged it repeatedly.

"Why me? Why, oh, why, oh, why, me?" he groaned, "why am I a huge glutton for punishment? Why didn't I keep K9 after I rebuilt him? A tin dog would have been less trouble than these three. Why, oh, why, oh, why?"

The three women grinned at each other, patted his head affectionately, and settled back in their seats while they waited for the waiter to come over and take their orders.

THE END.


End file.
